


The Little Merbunny

by zootopia123



Category: The Little Mermaid (1989), Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, The Little Mermaid AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-19
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-11-02 11:38:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 23,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10943739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zootopia123/pseuds/zootopia123
Summary: The Little Mermaid AU! Nick and Judy take the roles of Eric and Ariel in this story involving a bunny's desire to escape the sea, a witch's thirst for revenge, and the prince's search for love. Once again, the overall plot will remain much the same.





	1. Under the Sea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Trashasaurusrex](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Trashasaurusrex).



The sun beat down on the young fox as he leaned over the railing of the ship, a breeze rustling his fur.  
“Isn’t it wonderful Grimsby?!” He shouted as the ship cut through the sea, seawater spraying out behind it, “The wind in the sails, the sea’s not too rough. It’s perfect sailing weather!” Grimsby, a rather dour looking wolf, pulled his head back from the edge of the boat and wiped his mouth off.  
“I just wish you’d have more civilized hobbies young master Nicholas.” He commented, swaying on his paws and looking rather queasy.   
“What could be more civilized than sailing Grimsby?!” Nick laughed, ignoring the wolf’s disapproving gaze.  
“Especially on a day like this, when Lord Triton has blessed us with such fine weather!” One of the crewmembers, an otter, chimed in.  
“Who’s Lord Triton?” Nick inquired, “I’ve never heard of him.”  
“Why every sailor worth his salt has heard of Lord Triton!” The otter exclaimed, “He’s the lord of the seven seas! King of the mermammals!”   
“Don’t listen to such hogwash Nicholas.” Grimsby sniffed, “There are no mermammals.”  
“Of course there are mermammals!” The otter shouted, gesticulating wildly with a fish, “Just because you’ve never seen ‘em doesn’t mean they’re not there!” Grimsby ducked as the fish escaped the otter’s hand, flying over his head and back into the sea.  
“Well there’s no need to get so worked up over it.” Grimsby commented, standing back up and dusting himself off, “Now Nicholas, I think it’s time we headed back in.”  
“You sure you don’t want to stay out a little longer Grim?” Nick asked slyly, “I’m sure the fish could use a little feeding.”  
“Very funny young mammal.” He replied stiffly, “But we need to head back and get to work on finding you a wife.”  
“Fine.” Nick sighed, “But Grim, I’m 26, I’m perfectly capable of dealing with that myself.”  
“Really?” Grimsby replied, “Then how come you’re still single and rejecting every eligible princess that comes your way?” Nick blushed and turned away from his caretaker, ignoring the question.  
“Max!” He called to the fluffy sheepdog manning the helm, “Take us home!”  
“Aye, aye, captain!”   
______________________________________________________________________________  
Though Grimsby had his doubts, the truth was right under his nose. Fathoms below the surface yes, but still technically under his nose. Because, the mermammals weren’t a myth. In fact, they were some of the seas most potent creatures, especially their ruler, the mighty King Triton. And at the very bottom of the sea lay his palace. A golden, glittering edifice where the merfolk lived, hiding from the barbarism of the surface dwellers. Or at least, most of them hid.   
“Now presenting, the mighty King Triton!” The seahorse herald announced. The audience cheered as their king, a strapping bunny, was pulled into the amphitheater by a pack of dolphins.  
“And the court composer, Horatio Thelonious Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian!” He continued as Sebastian, a small, red crab, was pulled into the room by a solitary, struggling fish to a lukewarm reception. After a few moments, he finally made it to where Triton was already seated.  
“Today will be my finest concert ever!” Sebastian proclaimed proudly to King Triton, “With your daughter’s voice, it will be unmatched!”   
“I’m sure Judy will make the show unforgettable.” Triton replied with a proud smile. Sebastian nodded his agreement and began swimming down to the orchestra.  
“I just wish she had shown up for rehearsal.” He muttered bitterly as he made it to the podium. He waved his baton at the orchestra and they began to play a steady, anticipatory melody.   
“Ladies and gentlefish,” Sebastian shouted, turning to face the audience, “I present to you Attina!” A clamshell on the floor burst open and Triton’s eldest daughter emerged.  
“Alana!” A second shell opened and Alana swam up to join her sister.  
“Adella!” Triton’s third oldest emerged and joined her siblings above the orchestra.  
“Aquata!” Aquata swam over to her sisters and the four of them began harmonizing with the orchestra  
“Arista!” Arista sprung out of a clamshell and began singing.  
“Andrina!” The sixth daughter of Triton emerged and the audience quieted in anticipation, eager to see Judy emerge and perform for the first time.  
“And Judy!” The last clamshell on the floor creaked open to reveal nothing but water. The crowd gasped.  
“Where did Judy go?!” Sebastian groaned, burying his head in his claws. Triton frowned and looked at his older daughters.  
“Do any of you know where she went?” He demanded. The sisters exchanged a few looks and shrugged at their father.   
“Where does that child always disappear to?” Triton sighed.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy popped her head over the ridge and looked down at the wrecked ship below.  
“Check it out Flounder!” She whispered excitedly, “I wonder what’s in there?”  
“Nothin’ good.” Flounder, a bright yellow fish with blue stripes, replied nervously, “Well, it was fun coming down to see it, but—”  
“You don’t want to go inside?” Judy asked, “C’mon Flounder, it’ll be fun!”  
“What if there are sharks down there?” He asked nervously. Judy looked back down at the ship and the surrounding area.  
“It doesn’t look like there are any sharks.” She replied, “And we swam all this way to get here.”  
“Yeah, but, I don’t know…” He trailed off uncertainly. Judy sighed.  
“I guess I’ll just go by myself.” She said, slumping her shoulders and swimming towards the wreck. Flounder watched her drift towards the ship and groaned.  
“Fine.” He muttered, “Judy wait for me!” The merbunny spun around and lit up as her brightly colored friend swam towards her.  
“I knew you couldn’t resist!” She crowed.  
“Yeah, yeah.” Flounder replied, rolling his eyes, “Let’s just check it out really quick and then leave ok?” Judy nodded her head and slipped inside the ship through a porthole. Flounder tried to follow, but got stuck halfway through.  
“Uh, Judy?” He called, trying to squirm the rest of the way through, “Could you help me a little.”  
“Of course Flounder.” Judy giggled as the fish struggled. She grabbed one of his outstretched fins and yanked on it, hard, pulling him fully into the interior of the boat.   
“Wow, uh, this is nice.” He said nervously, looking around the gloomy, rotting ship.  
“Isn’t it great?” Judy said, oblivious to his discomfort. The excited merbunny swam through the ship, searching for its hidden treasures.  
“Oooo! Look at this one!” She said, picking up a metallic four-pronged object, “What do you think it is?”  
“I don’t know.” Flounder replied, swimming up to get a closer look, “I bet Scuttle can tell us what it is though!” Judy nodded enthusiastically and put the object in the pouch she was carrying. She swam up into the second level of the ship, closely followed by Flounder.  
“We should probably get going Judy.” He said as they swam, “What if some sharks come by?”  
“No sharks are going to come by.” Judy scoffed, “We can’t leave yet, there’s still so much to explore!”  
“I don’t know.” Flounder said as Judy picked up a strange, curved, hollow object with a well at one end. Judy continued to ignore the fish’s reticence, inspecting the newfound treasure intensely. Out of the corner of his eye, Flounder noticed a flash of movement outside of the boat.  
“Judy.” He began, “I think something’s out there.”  
“Stop being such a worrywart Flounder!” Judy complained, “We’ll be fine!” Flounder swam closer to a hole in the side of the boat to get a better look at the surrounding ocean.  
“SHARK!!!” He yelled, shooting away from the wall as the enormous predator rammed through it. Judy shoved her latest find into her bag and took off after Flounder, trying to escape the carnivorous beast. They wove their way through the rotted wreckage of the ship, slowly getting further and further away from their hunter. Just as they rounded a bend and thought they had escaped, the shark burst up from underneath the wooden floor, almost catching Flounder in its serrated teeth. As the pair turned to flee, Judy’s pouch was wrenched from her grasp, getting caught on a spur of broken wood. She paused as Flounder swam away, glancing between the oncoming shark and the bag of collectibles. At the very last moment, Judy propelled herself towards the bag, grabbed it, and shot upwards to avoid the snapping jaws of the shark. She continued to tear after Flounder, the shark, mere inches behind her, snapping at her tail, trying to catch it in his jaws. As she swam, she drew closer and closer to the portholes they had originally used to enter the decrepit ship. Judy watched Flounder struggle through one of the openings and keep going. With a massive stroke of her tail, Judy flew through the opening and let loose a sigh of relief. That relief was short lived as the ravenous creature tore through the soft, rotted wood to renew the chase. Judy swam away, leading the shark up and around a wooden pole before swimming through a narrow metal hoop. The massive shark tried to follow the elusive merbunny, but got stuck as he tried to swim through the metal ring.  
“Whew.” Judy let loose another sigh of relief and relaxed, knowing that this time, she was actually safe.  
“Not so scary now are ya?” She asked the enraged beast conversationally. The shark snapped its jaws angrily in response, glowering at the gloating bunny.  
“You big bully!” Flounder accused the trapped shark. Judy waited a few more moments for her heartbeat to slow down and then tapped Flounder on the fin.  
“Let’s go see Scuttle.” She said, “I want to find out what some of this stuff is.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy and Flounder surfaced near a single island, little more than a rock, that was inhabited only by a seagull living in the wreck of a crow’s nest.  
“Merbunny off the port bow!” He shouted, looking at the pair through a reversed telescope. Judy swam up to him and reversed the telescope in his grasp.   
“Well that was quite a swim.” Scuttle praised, “What can I do for you my girl?”  
“Well, Flounder and I were searching a wrecked boat and we found some stuff.” Judy replied. The seagull’s eyes lit up.  
“Do you mind if I take a look?” He asked excitedly. Judy shook her head.  
“We were actually hoping you’d be able to help us figure out what some of it is.” She said sheepishly, handing the eager seagull the bag. He reached into the bag with one of his wings and rummaged around, finally extracting the long metal object with four tines.  
“Oh, this, this is a good one!” He said, “It’s very rare, very valuable.”  
“What is it?” Judy asked.  
“This is a dinglehopper.” Scuttle replied, holding the object out proudly, “Mammals use this little beauty to straighten their hair out. So they take it and twirl it around like so,” The bird placed the tines in the middle of his head, twirled it and yanked it out, causing his feathers to poof into a ridiculous afro, “and voiola, they’ve got a sleek and comfortable hair style.” He handed the object back to Judy and she held it in her paws, looking at it happily.  
“A dinglehopper!” She murmured excitedly.  
“What about this one?” Flounder asked, nudging the curved, hollow, wooden object towards the knowledgeable gull.  
“Oh I haven’t seen one of these in years!” Scuttle said, seizing the object and marching across his little island, “This is wonderful! A banded, bulbous, snarfblatt!”  
“Wow.” Judy and Flounder said in unison.  
“These little babies go back to prehistoric times,” The gull continued, scooping water up in it and dumping it back in the ocean, “back before mammals could speak. It got very boring. So they invented the snarfblatt to make wonderful music, like so.”  
“Oh no.” Judy groaned as Scuttle blew into the pipe and hacked as he accidentally inhaled pieces of trapped seaweed, “I forgot all about the concert! My father’s gonna kill me!”  
“The concert was today?!” Flounder gasped.  
“I’m so sorry,” Judy began, snatching the snarfblatt from Scuttle’s wings, “but I have to go.” She shoved her prizes back into the bag and sped away from the tiny island, headed back towards her father’s palace.  
“Come back anytime Judy!” Scuttle shouted after the fleeing merbunny.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
As the merbunny swam back to her father’s palace, she was watched from the shadows by two yellow-eyed eels. Far away, in a dank, gloomy cave, through the eyes of her assistants, watched a horrible creature, a terrifying fusion of octopus and honey badger.  
“Look at Triton’s precious little daughter.” She tittered, watching Judy through the eyes of her eel helpers, “Swimming back to his little palace. It wouldn’t be fitting for her to be late to his little party.” She plucked a cowering shrimp from a dish and threw it into her mouth.  
“Not that it’s a real party, in my time, now those were parties! Now look at me, wasted away to practically nothing! All my talent squandered and me, trapped out here in my little cave.” She paused and slithered around her cave on a mass of tentacles.   
“Flotsam! Jetsam! Keep your eyes on Triton’s baby girl. She may be the key to his downfall.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“Young lady I cannot believe you missed Sebastian’s concert!” Triton scolded Judy.  
“And neither can I!” Sebastian chimed in, crossing his claws angrily.  
“But father—”  
“It was completely irresponsible!” He continued, “All of your sisters were there! The whole kingdom was watching! How could you let us down like that?”  
“I’m sorry father.” Judy apologized, “I lost track of time and we got held up, right Flounder?  
“Huh?” Flounder asked, “Oh, yeah, well we were exploring, and it was really creepy, and then it was dark, and suddenly a shark appeared, and then we escaped, but then this seagull—”  
“Seagull?” Triton asked, his voice low and angry, “Judy did you go to the surface again?”  
“No, no, of course I didn’t.” She said quickly, shooting a glare at Flounder.  
“You did, didn’t you?!” He exclaimed, “Judy, how many times do I have to tell you not to go up there?!”  
“I really don’t see the harm in it father!” Judy argued, “I’ve done it before and nothing bad has happened!”  
“That doesn’t mean nothing bad won’t happen!” He countered, “Judy, I love you, I don’t want those barbarians on the surface to pull you out of the water and eat you like a fish!”  
“But I’m not a fish father! And they’re not barbarians!” She protested, “Even if they caught me, they’d know I wasn’t a fish and wouldn’t eat me!”  
“Are you sure about that Judy? Because most fish are perfectly reasonable and articulate and they eat them anyways!!” He yelled back.  
“Father, I’m not a child anymore, I’m 18!” She shouted, “When are you going to let me start making my own choices?!”  
“So long as you live in my ocean, you obey my rules!” He shouted back. Judy glared at her father and swam out of the room, Flounder following in her wake. Her sisters, who had been waiting on the outskirts of the room began gossiping in low tones.  
“Can you believe she just swam out like that?”  
“I mean if any of us had done that—”  
“Why does she have to be so different?”  
Triton buried his head in his paws and sighed.  
“Do you think I was too hard on her Sebastian?” He asked his composer, “I just want her to be safe.”  
“She’s your daughter.” He responded, “You can be as hard on her as you want! In fact, being a little harder on her would be better! You give these teenagers an inch, and they swim all over you! If Judy was my daughter, I would show her who’s boss!” Triton nodded his head thoughtfully.  
“You’re right Sebastian.”  
“Of course I am.”  
“Judy needs to be kept on a tight leash, I can’t give her any slack, otherwise, she’ll just keep going to the surface.”  
“Exactly.”  
“She’ll need constant supervision,” Triton mused, “Someone to watch her every move and keep her safe.”  
“That’s an excellent idea!” Sebastian replied.  
“Then we’re agreed, you can do it.” Triton said happily.  
“What?!” Sebastian exclaimed.  
“You can watch over her Sebastian!” Triton said excitedly, “I need someone I trust to prevent my daughter from being harmed, and you can do it!”  
“Oh, well, I’m not sure I’m the best crab for the job.” Sebastian backpedaled, “I mean, there are so many more qualified crustaceans alone, not to mention merfolk!”  
“Nonsense!” Triton replied, clapping Sebastian on the back and sending him flying through the water, “I can think of no one better to look after my daughter than you Sebastian.”  
“I am honored my lord.” Sebastian said unhappily, “When would you like me to start?”  
“Right away!” Triton replied enthusiastically. Sebastian saluted his rule rand swam off to find Judy.  
“Wonderful.” He muttered under his breath, “Now I have to deal with the unruly teenager.”


	2. A Birthday Gone Wrong

Sebastian scuttled out of Triton’s throne room, muttering angrily to himself.  
“Why do I have to be the one looking after her?” He groused, “I should be writing symphonies! Not babysitting some crazy merbunny who’s obsessed with land mammals!” Sebastian continued along the pathway, but stopped as a flash of grey caught his eye. He snuck over to the edge of the walkway and peered over. Underneath, he saw Judy, carrying a small bag, and Flounder lurking, peering furtively in every direction.  
“What are you up to?” Sebastian murmured, watching as Judy and Flounder began to swim away. He jumped off the walkway and paddled after them, desperately trying to keep up with his far swifter quarries. He followed them for a mile on the sea floor, weaving through rocks, shipwrecks, and reefs, until they reached a seemingly innocuous rock formation. Sebastian landed on the sea floor and allowed himself a moment to recover from his frantic swimming. Judy and Flounder stopped and checked their surroundings once more, searching for any mammal, fish, or crustacean who could have followed them. Sebastian hid behind a rock and watched as Judy rolled a sizeable boulder aside, revealing the entrance to a hidden cave. She and Flounder slipped inside and the boulder began to roll back into place. Sebastian shot towards the entrance and slipped inside just as the makeshift door slammed shut, clipping his hind claws.  
“Agh!” He hissed, springing forward and inspecting the sore appendages. After making sure his claws were ok, he returned his attention to the interior of the cave and stifled a gasp. Lining the walls, on each shelf and in each crevice, were things from above the surface. Weird twisted metal, ceramic figurines, boxes, and paintings filled every inch of space in the cave while candelabras, rings, and various dining utensils littered the floor. Sebastian’s jaw dropped open as he beheld Judy’s hidden collection.   
“If her father ever found out…” He whispered, gazing upon the countless illicit items that Judy had obtained.   
“Judy, are you ok?” Flounder asked, drawing the crab’s attention to the sulking merbunny in the middle of the cave.  
“Yeah.” She sighed, “I just don’t see things the way he does. I just don’t understand how a world that makes such wonderful things, could be bad.” Judy placed her newest treasure, the gleaming dinglehopper that Scuttle had been so impressed with, in the sconce of a tarnished candelabrum. Sebastian snuck closer, hiding on a shelf full of items.  
“It’s only stuff Judy.” Flounder began, “I’m sure he’ll get over it eventually.”  
“It’s not just that Flounder.” She replied sadly, “Sure, I have all these amazing things, gadgets, gizmos, whozits, whatzits, thingamabobs, but I want more. I know it seems like I have everything I could ever want, but I don’t.”  
“What do you mean?” Flounder asked.  
“I wanna be where the people are.” Judy sighed, “I wanna to see them dancing! I wanna to see them walk on their hind paws. I want to have legs! I want to be part of that world! I want to dance, I want to jump! Flounder, they have such a wonderful life! All day, the land mammals wander free in the sun! Doing whatever they want!”  
“Yeah, I don’t think your dad would be ok with that.” Flounder replied.  
“I want to go and lay on the beach!” Judy continued, sprawling herself on the sandy floor of the cave, “I want to learn new things, like, like this!” She swam over to one of the paintings on the shelf and pointed at the brightly orange object painted in it.  
“What is ‘fire?’ Why does it burn? What is burning? Don’t you see Flounder?” She exhorted, turning to face her brightly colored friend, “There’s so much to know! I just want to escape this wretched ocean and explore the surface!” Sebastian let loose a gasp of horror at her last statement before quickly covering his mouth with a claw.  
“Did you hear that?” Judy asked, her ears perking up. Flounder shook his head. Judy picked herself off the cave floor and swam towards one of her piles of treasure.  
“Hello?” She called, “Is anyone here?” Sebastian slowly backed away from the searching merbunny, trying to further conceal himself behind a flagon. As he was backing up, one of his back claws slipped on a plate, sending him clattering to the ground, triggering an avalanche of jewelry, boxes, and other collectibles. Judy whirled to face the intruder but her anger was replaced by panic as she beheld an extraordinarily angry red crab.  
“Sebastian!” Judy said weakly, “What’re you doing—”  
“Young lady, have you lost your mind!?” He shouted back, “What are you thinking!? If your father ever finds this place, he will, he will be furious! He would destroy everything!”  
“Oh Sebastian, please don’t tell him!” Judy begged, “He doesn’t need to know! It would mean so much to me if you wouldn’t. Please?” Sebastian looked at the pleading merbunny, eyes wide and paws clasped in front of her, and sighed.  
“Alright, he doesn’t need to know.” Sebastian relented, “But you need to drop all this ‘going to the surface’ nonsense…” Sebastian continued speaking, but Judy was distracted as darkness fell over the cave, a large, oblong shadow blocking light from the opening at the top.  
“Judy!” Sebastian shouted, startling her out of her reverie, “Are you even listening?”  
“Yeah.” She answered absentmindedly, hearing a loud boom from above, “But I wonder what that thing is.” With a powerful swish of her tail, Judy propelled herself upwards, heading after the dark shape, Flounder following close behind.  
“Come back here right now!” Sebastian shouted as Judy slipped out the opening at the top of the cave.  
“Teenagers.” He huffed, swimming after the elusive merbunny.   
Judy broke through the surface of the ocean and let out a gasp of delight as she beheld a massive ship, skimming across the waves and letting off fireworks.  
“Wow.” She breathed, watching the multicolored explosions in the darkened night sky. Sebastian and Flounder surfaced next to her.  
“Judy, you need to—” Sebastian began, but stopped as he watched a firework shoot from the vessel and explode into a pinwheel of red sparks.   
“Need to what?” She teased the dumbstruck crustacean. Sebastian didn’t respond, enraptured by the show.  
“I’m gonna get a closer look.” Judy said to Flounder. She swam after the ship and Sebastian started in surprise.  
“No! Judy wait!” He shouted. She gave no indication of hearing him as she gained on the rapidly disappearing vessel.  
“Oh no.” Sebastian moaned, burying his face in his claws.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy followed the enormous boat, quickly catching up to it. She grabbed the side and allowed it to pull her through the water as she listened to the celebrations above. Her curiosity growing with each second, she began to haul herself up the side of the ship, using portholes and other protuberances as handholds. Finally, she made it to the top deck and was able to see the source of the festivities. Gallivanting around the deck was a young fox playing a flute. She gazed in wonder upon his face as the young prince laughed and danced, avoiding his friend, a fluffy sheepdog, who was trying to catch him. Judy giggled at their antics, watching the fox duck under his friend’s outstretched arm and escape him, all without missing a note. As the fox stopped playing the lively melody, his friend threw an arm around him.  
“Geez Nick, why’re you avoiding me on your birthday?” He teased.  
“Maybe because I don’t want you throwing me into the water again Max.” Nick retorted good-naturedly.   
“Fair enough.” Max chuckled, rubbing the top of Nick’s head, purposefully messing it up. Nick glared at his friend and walked away, fixing his fur as he went.  
“I’ll get you back Max!” He shouted from the other side of the deck. The sheepdog gave him a thumbs up in response. Max wandered over to the railing where Judy was hiding and leaned over it, breathing in the fresh ocean air. He looked down at the merbunny, who was doing her best to hide behind the railing and rigging, and winked, smiling at the oceanic mammal. Judy gave a sigh of relief as Max wandered back off to the party.  
“JUDY!” Scuttle shouted, swooping down out of nowhere, “HOW’S IT GOIN KIDDO?”   
“Scuttle quiet down!” Judy hissed, “I don’t wanna get caught.”  
“Oh I see.” He croaked, tapping the side of his beak with a feather, “We’re doin a little surveillance thing huh?” Judy nodded her head and returned her attention to the land mammals.  
“May I have everyone’s attention please?” A stuffy looking gray wolf announced, “It is my honor and privilege to present our esteemed Prince Nicholas with a very special, very expensive, very large, birthday present.” The wolf gestured to an enormous object covered by tarpaulin.  
“Grimsby ya old bag of beans!” Nick said affectionately, “You shouldn’t have!”  
“I know.” He replied primly, allowing himself a smile. Nick walked over to the gift and ripped the cover off, revealing a massive stone statue of himself, a sword in one paw, and a shield, featuring the seal of his kingdom, supporting one of the hind paws.  
“Wow Grim.” Nick remarked, at a loss for words, “It’s, uh, it’s really something.”  
“Isn’t it?” Grimsby beamed, not noticing Nick’s discomfort, “I had it commissioned myself. I was hoping it would be a wedding present,” He said pointedly, “but I can’t see any reason not to give it to you now.”  
“Are you still angry that I didn’t marry that princess from Arendelle?” Nick teased, “C’mon Grim, she was a total ice queen!”  
“Nonsense!” He proclaimed, “She was a suitable match.”  
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Nick answered, waving his paws at his caretaker. Grimsby opened his snout to scold the young prince but was forestalled by a shout from the crow’s nest.  
“THERE’S A STORM COMIN’ IN!” The squirrel called down, “GET READY FOR SOME ROUGH WEATHER!” For the first time, Nick noticed the mass of foreboding storm clouds stealing closer and blanched.  
“Max!” He shouted as rain began to pour down, “Take the helm!” The sheepdog nodded his head and ran off towards the stern as fast as he could, trying to keep his balance on the now pitching deck. Judy clung to the boat like a limpet, holding on as wave after wave swamped the deck and poured over the edge, drenching her in seawater. Nearby, she saw a bolt of lightning arc down, quickly followed by the resulting boom of thunder.   
“See ya kid.” Scuttle said, taking off and flying in the opposite direction. Judy waved goodbye to the gull, but kept her attention on the sailors, who were frantically grabbed ropes, tying them off, and holding them steady as they tried to keep the massive ship from capsizing. Just as it began to look like the ship could weather the storm, the mast was struck by lightning. With an ominous creak, the enormous wooden post began to list, breaking at the point where it had been struck. After several horrifying seconds, it fell, crashing into the deck and smashing into the interior of the ship. With that impact, Judy finally lost her grip on the tossing vessel and tumbled back into the sea, landing in the trough of a monstrous wave. She swam back up to the surface in time to see the wave strike the ship, sending it crunching into an outcropping of rocks. As they hit, the crew was thrown clear and into the sea, with several barrels and lifeboats coming loose as well. Judy sighed in relief as she saw the prince being hauled into a lifeboat by his crewmembers. As she watched, another bolt of lightning struck the ship and the fallen sail erupted in flames.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Nick watched sadly as his ship began to burn.  
“At least everyone got off.” He thought to himself as the flames rose higher. Nick took a look around the lifeboat and frowned.  
“Where’s Max?” He asked. No mammal answered. Nick stood up in the lifeboat, searching for any sign of his friend.  
“MAX!” He yelled, “MAX WHERE ARE YOU?!” Nick looked up at the broken ship and squinted. Through the flames he made out the outline of his friend, slumped over the steering wheel. Without a second thought, Nick dove into the water and swam towards the wreck, cutting through the sea with quick, powerful strokes. He reached the edge of the ship and began to pull himself up the side much like Judy had, using the portholes as handholds. As he climbed, Grimsby directed the lifeboat nearer, anxiously watching the heir to the throne clamber up the side of the burning wreck. Nick hauled himself onto the deck and ran towards the unconscious sheepdog, vaulting over the flaming mast as he went. He made it to the helm and slung Max over his shoulders, grunting as he supported the dog’s full weight. He looked back at the way he came and grimaced as he saw the flames climb higher, blocking his escape. Coughing from the smoke, Nick struggled to the railing and found Grimsby in the lifeboat waiting beneath.  
“THROW HIM INTO THE WATER!” Grimsby ordered, “WE’LL PULL HIM OUT!” With a herculean effort, Nick tossed his friend over the railing and into the drink. As Max splashed into the sea, several crewmembers, mostly otters, leaped off the lifeboat and hauled the sopping mammal to safety. As they heaved the sheepdog onto the lifeboat, Grimsby frantically gestured for Nick to follow. Nick took a deep breath and jumped with as much force as he could muster, but as he did so, the weakened timbers under his paws gave way, revealing the raging inferno below deck. Nick grabbed for the railing as his footing disappeared, clinging desperately to the wooden balustrade as the flames singed his fur. Barely able to breathe and drained from his mad dash to save Max, it was all he could do to hold on. Nick looked down at the furnace beneath him and cursed. As more smoke filled his lungs, he could hear Grimsby shouting as if from far away, begging him to escape. With the last of his strength, Nick pulled himself back to the deck, leaning over the railing.  
“Get away!” He wheezed, “The powder’s about to blow!” The mammals on the lifeboat sprung into action, jamming the oars into place and rowing away as fast as they could.  
“NICK!” Grimsby shouted, “JUMP!” The world swam before Nick’s eyes as he heard Grimsby shout. He slumped over the railing, the smoke and exhaustion taking its toll as he slowly succumbed to unconsciousness.  
“Sorry Grim.” Nick thought as the world faded to black, “It looks like you’ll never see me get married after all.”   
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy let out a gasp of horror as the ship blew up, sending timbers flying and setting off even more fireworks. She watched as the smoking fox flew through the air, landing in the water with the other debris.   
“Nick.” She breathed as the fox splashed down. Judy tore through the waves, headed for the young prince, determined to save him. When she reached the spot where he had landed, she dove under the water and shot downwards towards the rapidly sinking mammal. She grabbed his trailing paw and began stroking upwards with all her strength, but she was barely able to support the waterlogged fox. Finally, she broke the surface and pulled Nick up in her arms. Judy looked around for some land, any land, to deposit the half-drowned prince, but there was only the vast expanse of the ocean. She slung him on her back, making sure his head was above the water, and started swimming. There was a long way to go.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy finally hauled Nick up onto a beach, well above the water line, and collapsed next to him.  
“You’re heavier than you look.” She panted, eyeing the unconscious fox as the afternoon sun beat down on them. After a few moments of recovery, Judy sat up and inspected him. His fur was caked with salt, stiff and dry to the touch and his hind paws and tail were blackened with soot. Judy tenderly brushed his cheek, combing the sea salt out of his fur. Scuttle flew over and alighted next to her.  
“Is he, dead?” Judy asked hesitantly, pulling her paw away from the fox’s cheek.  
“It’s hard to say.” Scuttle responded, putting one of Nick’s hindpaws up to his head, “I can’t make out a heartbeat.” Nick let out a sigh.  
“He’s breathing!” Judy cried in relief.   
“Hallelujah!” Scuttle proclaimed, horribly mispronouncing the word.  
“He’s so beautiful.” She murmured, admiring the bedraggled mammal as she brushed stray strands of fur from his eyes.  
“What would I give to live where you are?” Judy crooned, “What would I pay to stay here beside you? What would I do to see you, smiling at meeee?” As she sang to the motionless fox, a wave rolled in, washing Sebastian and Flounder onto a rock. Upon seeing Judy lying on the beach, singing to the prince of the land mammals, Sebastian’s jaw dropped open and he swooned. Scuttle quickly flew over and steadied the teetering crab before he fell back into the sea.  
“Where would we walk? Where would we run? If we could stay all day in the suuuuun, just you and me, and I could be, part of your wooooorld.” Nick coughed and slowly opened his eyes as Judy sang. His first sight as he regained consciousness was a stunning bunny with amethyst eyes and the morning sun shining behind her, singing to him in the most lovely voice he had ever heard.  
“Wha?” He groaned, trying to sit up. Judy’s head whipped up as she heard mammals coming and, giving Nick one last look, she slipped back into the water.  
“Nick!” Max shouted, running across the beach, “Nick you’re alive!” Nick slowly sat up as Max reached him and clapped him on the back.  
“I thought I lost you there pal.” He said, pulling Nick to his paws. Grimsby rounded the corner and let out a sigh of relief.  
“Nicholas you’re alive!” He cried, rushing to pull the fox into a hug, “I can’t believe that you—it’s a miracle that you’re alive.” He finished, holding the fox at arm’s length and looking at him affectionately.  
“We’ve got to get you home.” Grimsby declared, marching Nick towards the palace, “I need to get the doctor to look at you and—”  
“Where’s the bunny?” Nick asked, interrupting Grimsby’s rambling, “There was a bunny here. She saved me. And she had the most amazing voice I’ve ever heard.”  
“Oh dear, you may be worse than I thought.” Grimsby fretted, “Female bunnies don’t just show up, save mammals, and sing to them Nicholas. We need to get you some rest young mammal; you’ve been through quite an ordeal.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy watched from a distance as Grimsby hustled Nick off to the castle to take care of him.  
“Just you wait.” She whispered, “I’ll be back, and then I can be part of your world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi guys! Just have a quick thing and then I’m done. For pretty much every song in every au I have written, I find a workaround because they don’t always sit well in the middle of a narrative (this is my personal opinion. Feel free to disagree), however in this case, Judy singing to Nick on the beach is an exception for several important plot reasons that I’m sure you all are familiar with. The rest of the songs from the movie will most likely not be explicitly in the story as songs, however I may/will steal certain words and the overall tone to advance the plot in a similar way to the song. That’s about it. Thank you all so much for reading! I’ll get the next chapter out within the next week!


	3. Poor Unfortunate Soul

Ursula watched through the eyes of Flotsam and Jetsam as Judy drifted back towards the palace, humming to herself.  
“She’s in love with a land mammal!” Ursula cackled, “And not just any land mammal, the prince! This is too easy! It’s not even fair!” Ursula maneuvered herself towards a wooden cabinet in the corner of the cave.  
“Let’s see here,” She murmured, “what do I need to turn Triton’s precious daughter against him?” She sorted through the crammed shelves, shoving aside the glass containers full of volatile substances. As she looked through her ingredients, a malicious smile grew on her face.  
“That would work.” She muttered, gathering the ingredients in her paws, “That would work beautifully.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“Judy!” Attina shouted. There was no response.  
“Judy wake up!” She shouted again, getting ready to barge into her cave. Right before she could, the seaweed was swept aside and Judy drifted out of her room, humming to herself.  
“Finally!” Alana exclaimed, “What took you so long?” Judy swam to a mirror and sat down, not appearing to have heard the question.  
“What’s up with her?” Adella whispered to Andrina. The older merbunny chuckled as she watched her youngest sister combing her fur and staring dreamily into the polished seashell that functioned as a mirror.  
“Oh, she’s got it bad.” Andrina laughed.   
Triton entered the room to find six of his seven daughters gathered around Judy, gossiping.   
“What’s going on here?” He asked. The sisters exchanged knowing looks and Judy swam towards their father, plucking a few blooming flowers from the sea floor.  
“Nothing daddy.” She answered, pinning the flowers behind his crown, “We were just talking.” Judy swam off, humming to herself once more, leaving her very confused father behind.  
“What’s gotten into her?” He wondered aloud.  
“She’s in love.” Attina tittered, drawing her father’s attention, “And she’s got it bad.”  
“Judy, in love?’ Triton responded, plucking the flowers from his crown and inspecting them, “With who?”  
“I don’t know.” She said with a shrug. Triton narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment.  
“I think I have a way of finding out.” Triton mused, “Now where is Sebastian?”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
The crab in question was currently pursuing his young charge.  
“Judy, you need to stop fantasizing about this prince!” He pleaded, trying to keep up with the swimming merbunny and Flounder, “It won’t end well for either of us!”  
“Sebastian, you don’t understand.” Judy sighed, stopping to let the crab catch up, “I, I’m in love with him.”  
“No no no no no.” Sebastian said, pressing his claws against the side of his head, “No, you are not saying that.”  
“Sebastian, why can’t you accept that I love him?” Judy asked, alighting on a large rock, “Why is that so hard for you?”  
“Because your father will fry me that’s why!” He snapped back. Judy turned her head and refused to look at the crab.  
“Look, Judy,” He began in a softer tone, “just look at how great things are here! How do you know it’s so great up there, huh? The seaweed always looks greener in someone else’s lake.”  
“Yeah right.” Judy muttered, still refusing to make eye contact with the crustacean.  
“Up on the surface, they slave away in the sun,” Sebastian continued, ignoring Judy’s snide comment, “down here, we get to swim, all day! The fish are happier here, we don’t eat them or trap them in bowls. When the land mammals get hungry, innocent fish are eaten. You want to live like that?” Judy rolled her eyes as Sebastian began to pace back and forth, his back turned to her as he pontificated.   
“And have you ever seen them play music up there?” Sebastian asked, “Down here, we have the best music anywhere! Every snail, ray, sturgeon, and clam knows how to play. Them, well they have a lot of sand.” As Sebastian continued speaking, Flounder swam up to Judy and began whispering in her ear. When he pulled away, she looked at him in surprise and pulled the fish in for a hug. Judy sprang up from the rock and shot towards her treasure trove, eager to discover Flounder’s gift.  
“Judy, when you really think about it,” Sebastian finished, turning back towards her, “the best—where did she go?” The crab whipped his head back and forth, searching for the elusive merbunny and groaned.  
“I need to put a bell on that child.” He grumbled, turning around and swimming back towards the palace.   
______________________________________________________________________________  
As the crab reentered the underwater city, he ran into Triton.  
“Sebastian!” He exclaimed with a knowing smile, “Just the crab I was looking for! You and I need to have a little chat.”   
“Your majesty!” He choked, “What, uh, what exactly do we need to discuss?”  
“Oh I think you know.” The merbunny replied, winking at the trembling crustacean, “You’ve been hiding something from me Sebastian.”  
“Me?” He stammered, “No, your highness, why would you think that?”  
“A secret about Judy.” Triton cajoled, holding back a smile, “About a certain someone.”  
“No, no, no sir, there are no secrets.” Sebastian rambled.  
“Sebastian,” Triton began, “I know she’s in love with someone.” Sebastian gulped.  
“So who’s the lucky mer—”  
“SHE’S IN LOVE WITH THE PRINCE!!!” He shouted, unable to hold out any longer, “I’m sorry sir, but she—”  
“SHE’S WHAT?!” Triton thundered, all traces of his good humor disappearing, “THE FOX?! SHE’S IN LOVE WITH THE PRINCE OF THE LAND MAMMALS?!” Sebastian withdrew inside his shell, cowering before the rage of the king of the sea.  
“I tried to stop her sir but—”  
“THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF THING YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PREVENT!” He roared, levelling his trident, which was now humming with power, at the defenseless crustacean.  
“Please your majesty.” Sebastian pleaded, “She got away from me and it happened so quickly, there was nothing I could—”  
“Get up.” Triton said to the shaking crab, pulling his trident away, “I don’t know what happened or how, but you’re going to take me to my daughter right now or so help me I will—”  
“Yes, yes of course your highness.” Sebastian interrupted, “I’ll take you to her right now.”  
“Where is she?” He asked, his voice low and dangerous.  
“She, well, uh,” The crab said, clicking his claws together, “she has a cave where she likes to go and keep…things.” Triton glared down at the apprehensive composer.  
“Take me there.” He ordered, “Now.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy rocketed towards her cave, wondering what Flounder’s gift could be.  
“You’re gonna love it Judy.” Flounder said, swimming besides her, “I had to get some whales to help me move it, but boy was it worth it.”  
“Whales?” Judy asked as they approached her treasure trove, “Flounder, how big is this thing?”  
“You’ll see.” He replied, a smug expression gracing his face. Judy rolled the boulder aside for Flounder to swim in and slipped in after him, allowing the “door” to close on its own.  
“Close your eyes.” Flounder commanded, swimming right up to her face to block the view.   
“Alright Flounder.” Judy giggled, closing her eyes and covering them with an arm. She placed her free paw on the fish’s back and allowed him to guide her into the main chamber.  
“And, open!” He shouted, zipping away from the floating merbunny. In the middle of the cave, bathed in sunlight from the surface stood a white marble statue of a fox, wielding a sword in defense of his nation.  
“Flounder,” Judy breathed, at a loss for words, “where did you—how did you—I saw this go down on the prince’s ship. How did you find it?”  
“It was nothing.” Flounder boasted, “Scuttle found the wreck and I got a few friends to help me search the sea floor for a few things. When we found this, I knew you had to have it.” Judy swam at her friend and tackled him in a hug.   
“This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten Flounder!” She said.  
“Now I see where you’ve been slipping away to.” Triton uttered, his voice trembling with rage as he emerged from the shadows at the edge of the cave.  
“Daddy!” Judy exclaimed in a strained voice, letting Flounder go and turning to face her father, “What’re you doing—”  
“What am I doing?!” He shouted, his eyes bulging in anger, “Judy what are you doing?! Holed up in some cave, surrounded by things from the surface. Things that are ILLEGAL! By my decree!”  
“Daddy, you don’t under—”  
“I tried to be a good father.” He began, “I raised you girls the best that I could. I loved you, I nurtured you, and I tried to protect you. But Judy, what you’re doing now cannot stand!”  
“Daddy, if you’ll just listen—”  
“NO!” He yelled, “I am your father! I have to protect you! Even, even if it means protecting you from yourself.” The trident began to glow in his paws and the temperature in the cave rose.  
“No, please—”  
“I’m doing this for your own good.” He interrupted. Judy shielded her eyes as a blast of power from the trident vaporized an entire wall of knick-knacks. She watched in horror as Triton continued to blast the cavern, reducing her precious collection, years worth of scavenging and memories, to black goo. At last, Triton pointed his trident at the statue, shocking Judy into action.  
“Stop!” She shouted, throwing herself in front of the statue, “Please, just stop!”   
“Judy, move out of my way.” Triton commanded, his trident humming in his paws.  
“Daddy please,” She pleaded, “I love him.”   
“Out of my way!” Triton snarled, reaching out and shoving his daughter aside. He levelled the trident at the beautiful marble statue and unleashed his power, turning the carved stone into rubble.  
“No.” Judy whispered as the chunks of stone drifted to the floor of the cave. Tears filled her eyes and she began to sob. She threw herself on the ground and began to shake, her body wracked with heaving sobs.  
“It’s, it’s for the best.” Triton assured himself as he watched his youngest daughter crying on the ground. He gave her one last look before turning his back and swimming towards the palace.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Sebastian scuttled out from behind a rock after Triton had left.  
“Judy,” He began, “Judy, I’m sorry. I didn’t think he would—”   
“Just go Sebastian!” She shouted between sobs, her voice muffled by the ground.  
“I’m sorry Judy.” He repeated before swimming towards the exit, “I didn’t want this to happen.” With Sebastian gone, there was only Flounder left to comfort the devastated merbunny. After a few minutes she sat up and inhaled deeply, her eyes rimmed red from her earlier sobbing.  
“Are you, are you ok Judy?” Flounder asked.  
“No.” She replied, her voice thick with misery, “Why can’t he just accept who I am and what I want?” Flounder shrugged.  
“Could you wait outside Flounder?” Judy requested, “I, I just need to be alone for a little bit.” Flounder nodded in response and swam for the exit, pausing to take one last look at the forlorn merbunny before leaving.   
Judy waited until Flounder had left and then swam across the cavern, collecting the remains of the statue. As she gathered the chunks of marble, she found the largest surviving fragment. The face of Nicholas Wilde. She fought off a fresh wave of grief as she stared down at the fox’s handsome face.  
“I’m not giving up.” She muttered, gazing at the carved rock.  
“How sweet!” A voice exclaimed, echoing around the cavern.  
“Who’s there?” Judy asked, whirling around. As she glanced around the cave, two moray eels oozed out of the shadows.  
“It’s just us.” Flotsam responded, swimming towards the apprehensive merbunny, “Two harmless eels.”  
“Who have a proposition for you.” Jetsam added, circling their quarry.  
“Who are you?” Judy interrogated, spinning in place as she tried to keep both eels in her sight.  
“We work for Ursula.” Flotsam volunteered.  
“The sea witch.” Judy breathed, her eyes widening in shock, “What do you want from me?”  
“We want to help you.” Jetsam soothed, closing in on the static merbunny, “Don’t you want to be with the prince?”  
“How do you—”  
“Ursula knows a great many things.” Flotsam bragged, “She even knows how you can be with your precious little fox.”  
“She does?” Judy asked, her eyes full of hope.  
“Oh yes.” Jetsam coerced, “In fact, she sent us here to take you to her.” Judy paused in indecision.   
“Is it worth it?” She asked herself, watching the eels every move, “Father always told me that Ursula was cruel and manipulative. But if she can help me be with Nick…”  
“Fine.” She said aloud, “Take me to Ursula.”  
“Besides,” She thought as Flotsam and Jetsam led her out of the cave, “I can always leave if I want to.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Flounder floated outside the cave, waiting for Judy to emerge.  
“Flounder!” Sebastian hissed from behind a rock.  
“Sebastian what’re you doing?” He replied in a hushed tone, “Judy told you to leave!”  
“I know, I know,” The crab responded, “but I have to make sure she’s ok! I never wanted any of this to happen! I’m supposed to look after her. I need to do that no matter how angry she is at me.”  
“Fine.” Flounder said, “But I’m not gonna be the one explaining this to Judy.” Sebastian nodded his head in agreement and the pair waited for the distraught merbunny to emerge.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy swam out of the cavern, flanked on either side by Ursula’s minions.  
“Judy!” Flounder greeted her, “Who’re they?”  
“They’re taking me to see Ursula.” She said, continuing past her friend.  
“Ursula!” Sebastian shouted, shooting up from behind his rock, “The sea witch?! You can’t go see her!” The crab frantically paddled after Judy, Flounder following close behind.  
“I thought I told you to leave Sebastian.” Judy leered.  
“Judy, be rational.” Sebastian pleaded, “You can’t trust the sea witch, she’s dangerous! You’re father banished her for a reason!”  
“Just like he had a reason when he destroyed my collection!” Judy countered, turning her head to glare at the struggling crustacean, “I’m seeing Ursula and nothing you could do will stop me.” Judy picked up the pace and Sebastian fell behind, unable to match the merbunny’s speed.  
“Grab on.” Flounder urged as he swam up to the tired crab. Gratefully, Sebastian grabbed onto to Flounder’s back and rode the tropical fish after Judy.   
As they swam towards Ursula’s lair, they descended further and further into the sea. Into the dark places where the most dangerous predators lurked.  
“Are we going the right way?” Judy ventured, her courage faltering for the first time.   
“We’re almost there.” Flotsam crooned to the worried merbunny.  
“You can still head back Judy.” Sebastian urged, “It’s not too late.”  
“Stop it Sebastian.” She commanded, “Either stay with me or go back, but stop trying to convince me to leave because I’m not going to.”  
“Fine.” The crustacean grumbled, “I’ll stay.”  
“Here we are.” Jetsam proclaimed, “Ursula’s palace.” Judy let out a gasp of surprise. The palace was built of black rock and was shrouded in darkness, but it was strangely familiar.  
“My god.” Sebastian breathed, “She made an exact copy of your father’s palace.” Suddenly, everything in Judy’s mind snapped into place and she recognized the structure.  
“You’re right.” She muttered. Only, the palace wasn’t exactly the same. It was like the negative of a photo. Where Triton’s palace was warm and welcoming, Ursula’s was dark and foreboding, exuding an air of danger.  
“Right this way.” Flotsam coaxed, leading the group down into the entry hall. As they swam towards the throne room, Judy noticed a field of brownish weeds carpeting the floor. Even stranger, they appeared to have faces. Judy shook her head and kept moving.   
“It’s probably my imagination.” She told herself, “Why would weeds have faces?” The entered Ursula’s “throne room” and came to a halt, taking in the vast chamber. As opposed to Triton’s, the room was nearly empty, with the only fixtures being a wooden cabinet, polished mirror, and a large crater in the center of the room.  
“Come in, come in.” Ursula urged, floating down from the ceiling, “It’s rude to lurk in doorways. One might question your upbringing.” Judy swam further into the room and watched as Ursula slithered over to the mirror and began fixing her fur.  
“Now you’re here because you love that charming little fox right?” She asked, lathering some lotion into her fur, “Not that I blame you, he is quite the handsome devil.” Judy forced a smile as Ursula winked at her.  
“Now, the solution to your problem is actually quite simple my dear.” Ursula said, turning to face the merbunny, “You need to become a land mammal.”  
“Can you do that?” Judy asked hopefully. The honey badger grinned, showing her razor sharp teeth.  
“Can I? My dear, it’s what I live for!” She exclaimed, swimming past the merbunny towards the crater, “Helping poor, unfortunate merfolk who have nowhere else to go! You think Triton’s gonna do it? Sure he has all those powers and his mighty trident, but have you ever seen him use it to help anyone?” Ursula watched the uncomfortable merbunny shake her head.  
“That’s what I thought.” She continued, “All these poor unfortunate souls come to me in their time of need. And fortunately, well I know a little magic, and I can help them.”   
“And what happens if they can’t pay your price?” Sebastian accused. Ursula shrugged.  
“It’s happened once or twice that I had to take an… alternative form of payment.” Ursula responded, glancing towards the entryway, “I know I used to be extraordinarily bad, let’s just say I earned the title of sea witch, but I’ve changed my ways!” She said earnestly, “I’m a different mammal. All I want is to use my talents to help these poor unfortunate souls. I’ve done some bad things, but on the whole, I’ve been a saint to everymammal that has asked for my help.” Ursula waved her paw over the crater and multiple smoky images appeared, depicting countless mermammals.  
“Look at all of them.” She requested, “Every single one, I helped. And I can do the same for you my dear. For a price of course.”  
“What’s the price?” Judy asked, her eyes firmly fixed on all of Ursula’s “satisfied customers.”  
“Nothing that you’ll miss.” She replied, fixing the merbunny with a hungry gaze, “My price is your voice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi guys! Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. There’s not really much I have to say, so you know the drill, next chapter out in the next week or so. Thanks for reading!


	4. The Contract

“My voice?” Judy asked, her paw rising to her throat, “What—why do you want my voice?”  
“Oh, you’ve got it all wrong my dear!” Ursula exclaimed, “I don’t want your voice, no, you see, nothing would warm my heart more than to help you and your foxy little prince find each other, but alas, that’s not the way magic works. The problem isn’t me, it’s the magic.”  
“What do you mean?” Judy asked, eyeing the sea witch with suspicion, “Are you saying that you’re not in control of your own magic?”  
“No, no, of course not!” Ursula dismissed the bunny, “I control the magic, but the amount of power required to turn you into a land mammal, that’s not a small request. I can do it, but I can’t generate that much raw power on my own, which means I need a… substitute.” Ursula watched the bunny with beady eyes, hoping that she’d believe her.  
“How is my voice a substitute?” Judy asked, her paw unconsciously rubbing her throat.  
“It isn’t your voice that creates the power.” Ursula explained, “It’s the sacrifice, the willingness to give up something so integral to you.”  
“But how am I supposed to get him to fall in love with me without my voice?” She countered. Ursula hid her smile behind an exasperated glare. She had the little merbunny on the hook.  
“You’ll still have your looks,” Ursula replied, “your pretty face. And don’t underestimate the importance of body language!” Judy chewed on her lip as she considered the sea witch’s offer. Sebastian opened his mouth to say something, but Flotsam and Jetsam snaked around him and Flounder, effectively gagging them. Ursula snapped her fingers and a glowing contract appeared in the air.  
“Just sign right there dear.” Ursula urged, pointing to the X at the bottom of the page, “Sign right there and he can be yours.” Judy swam over to the contract and took the fishbone pen from Ursula. She rolled it between her paws while she thought.  
“I’m a very busy mammal.” Ursula reminded the indecisive merbunny, “I haven’t got all day. Make your choice.”  
“If I’m going to sign a binding contract, I’m at least going to read it first.” Judy snapped at the impatient honey badger.  
“Fine.” Ursula responded, rolling her eyes, “Read the contract.” Judy ignored the witch’s annoyance and began scanning the long piece of paper. When she was done, she looked up at Ursula in disbelief.  
“I only get three days on land?” Judy asked incredulously, “How am I supposed—”  
“That’s how long the magic will last.” Ursula interrupted, “Until the prince falls in love with you, you’ll be an outsider in the surface world. There will be nothing to anchor you, to keep you there. The magic can only sustain you for three days.”  
“And what happens if I can’t do it in three days?” Judy asked, looking at the sea witch with newfound wariness.  
“Then you belong to me.” Ursula replied. Judy’s throat suddenly went dry and she was unable to swallow.  
“Why—”  
“I don’t run a charity.” Ursula said, “I have to treat you the same as I treat my other customers.” Judy looked back towards the entrance hall at the brown weeds and gulped as reality dawned on her.  
“And I’m not allowed to explicitly tell him who I am?” Judy asked, “What do you mean by that?”  
“It means you can’t just write out who you are for prince pretty mammal.” Ursula huffed, “It would break the spell.”  
“How would that break the spell?” Judy shot back, anger, frustration, and uncertainty filling the bunny, “This contract is ridiculous! Couldn’t you just change it a little?”  
“No.” Ursula snapped, snatching the pen from her hand, “I can’t change the rules that govern magic you insolent little thing. So if you don’t like the deal, leave.” Judy froze in place as she was faced with the choice. Sebastian struggled against Flotsam, trying to shout out a warning to Judy.  
“But know this,” Ursula continued, grabbing the contract from the water and rolling it up in her paws, “These are the best terms your likely to find and I’m one of the only mammals in the entire world, both above and below the sea, that can work this spell.” Judy’s ears drooped as she considered living the rest of her life trapped in the vast oceans controlled by her father.  
“I can do it.” She told herself, “I can do it in three days.” Ursula cleared her throat.  
“I’m waiting.” She prompted the indecisive merbunny, “Do we have a deal?” Judy’s thoughts flashed back to her moments on the beach with the fox prince; his soft, downy fur, his beautiful emerald eyes, the way his friends cared for him.  
“I have to.” Judy thought to herself, meeting the honey badger’s eyes for the first time.  
“We have a deal.” She said, holding out her paw to the witch.  
“Wonderful!” Ursula exclaimed, shoving the pen into her open paw and rolling open the contract with a flourish, “Sign right at the bottom!” Judy placed the tip of the pen on the page and paused for a moment, thinking about the enormity of what she was about to do. She signed her name and started in surprise as the contract rolled back up and disappeared with an audible POP.  
“Now,” Ursula began, fixing the merbunny with a predatory grin, “sing.” Judy raised an eyebrow at her, but didn’t question the sea witch.  
“ah ah ah.” She started as the water began to whirl around her, “Ah Ah Ah,” Smoky green claws appeared in the middle of the tempest and began drifting towards her.  
“KEEP SINGING!” Ursula shouted, a mad gleam in her eyes.  
“AH AH AH, AH AH AH, AAAH.” She continued. As she sang, the claws grew closer, until one forced her mouth open and withdrew a small, glowing sphere of golden light. Drifting out of it was a faint voice, singing the same melody as Judy. She opened her mouth to keep singing, but nothing came out. Her eyes grew wide as she watched the green tendrils retract towards Ursula. The predator plucked the sphere of light from the claws and stowed it in a mollusks shell on her necklace. As if someone had flicked a switch, the singing stopped and the water returned to normal. Flotsam and Jetsam uncoiled themselves from Sebastian and Flounder to return to their victorious mistress.   
“Oh Judy,” Sebastian whispered as he watched the merbunny try to speak, “What have you done?” The merbunny swam up to Ursula and tapped her arm, reminding her of the deal.  
“Oh, of course.” Ursula exclaimed, tearing her eyes away from her prize, “After I give you legs, you have until sundown on the third day to earn a kiss of true love from the prince. Understood?” Judy nodded her head.  
“Perfect.” Ursula said, swimming over to her cabinet, “You might want to hold your breath.” Judy gave her a quizzical look. Ursula sighed and threw a vial at Judy’s feet, causing it to shatter. The contents clouded the water, slowly enveloping Judy in a yellow mist. Judy began to cough as Ursula’s magic concoction took effect. Suddenly, the bottom half of her body felt disconnected and uncontrolled. She looked down and let out a gasp of surprise as she saw her new legs, causing seawater to flood her mouth.  
“Judy!” Sebastian shouted, swimming over to the struggling bunny, “Flounder, we need to get her to the surface! Now!” Flounder shot over and together, they lifted Judy towards the surface. Her last sight before she lost consciousness was Ursula, lazily waving goodbye.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“She is, without a doubt, the most gullible mermammal I’ve ever dealt with.” Ursula cackled, “She ate up every word I said! Even the nonsense about ‘the rules of magic’ and breaking the spell!” Flotsam and Jetsam circled their jubilant mistress as she celebrated.  
“You truly are brilliant.” Flotsam schmoozed.  
“Yes, yes I am.” Ursula preened, glancing down at the shell containing Judy’s voice, “And in three short days, I will own Triton’s precious little daughter.”  
“What if she gets the fox to fall in love with her?” Jetsam asked.  
“You two are going to follow them and make sure that doesn’t happen.” Ursula ordered. The eels nodded and swam towards the surface, following Ursula’s most recent victim.  
“You’ll pay for what you did to me Triton.” She muttered, holding the shell in her paws.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Flounder breached the surface with Judy on his back and the bunny coughed up a lungful of seawater. Sebastian popped up next to the bunny and glared at her.  
“Judy what were you thinking!?” He scolded. Judy shrugged her shoulders and gave Sebastian a weak smile.  
“We can talk about this later.” Sebastian said, changing his mind as he noticed the haggard look on Judy’s face, “But right now, we need to get you to that prince.” Judy nodded her agreement and the three of them began swimming towards the palace.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
After what seemed like an eternity, an exhausted Flounder deposited Judy in the shallows. Judy raised a concerned eyebrow at the drained fish.  
“I’m alright.” He panted, “Just give me a minute.”   
“Look at this!” Scuttle cried as he swept down out of nowhere, “My favorite merbunny!” Judy smiled and waved one of her newly acquired hind paws at the seagull.  
“There’s something different about you.’ He said with a frown, eyeing the grinning bunny, “Did you do something new with your ears?” Judy shook her head, the smile growing wider.  
“Is it something with your fur?” He muttered to himself, tapping a father on his beak. Judy’s smile grew wider as she shook her head again.  
“Huh.” Scuttle remarked, “Is it—”  
“SHE HAS HIND PAWS YOU FOOL!” Sebastian shouted, his stress finally getting the better of him, “And when her father finds out, he’s going to—” Sebastian gulped as he tried to imagine Triton’s rage.  
“Say, those are nice.” Scuttle commented, ignoring Sebastian’s outburst, “But if you’re gonna be a land mammal, ya need to dress like one. I’ll be right back.” Scuttle flew away, headed for his nest. Sebastian buried his face in his claws.  
“If we don’t get your voice back your father is going to kill me.” Sebastian groaned. Judy patted him on the back, lightly at first, and then insistently.  
“What?” He demanded, looking up at the bunny. She held up a paw with three digits raised and smiled at the crustacean.   
“You’re right.” He said, standing up a little straighter, “We have three days. All we have to do is find the prince and getting your voice back will be a breeze.” Scuttle returned, trailing a canvas sheet behind him.   
“Here we go.” He proclaimed, letting the sail flutter to the ground, “One genuine land mammal piece of clothing.” Judy grinned at the seagull and snatched the tattered sail from the surf. She swam behind a rock and emerged a few moments later with the sail wrapped around her and held together by a piece of spare rope, and a few strategic folds.   
“Beautiful!” Scuttle exclaimed, “You look just like one of the land mammals!”  
“Really?” Flounder asked, squinting at the canvas toga. Scuttle bobbed his head.  
“Oh yeah, that’s what they wear. It’s crazy what mammals do for fashion.” Flounder took another look at Judy, still unconvinced by Scuttle. Before he could raise any more objections, a white sheepdog sprinted around the cliff and onto the beach.  
“Hide!” Sebastian hissed, diving back into the water. Flounder followed his lead and Scuttle took to the skies, leaving Judy standing all alone on the beach.  
Max, who had been watching over his shoulder for Nick, noticed Judy just in time. He let out a yelp of surprise and changed course, barely avoiding a collision and skidding to a stop. He trotted back over to the bunny and took in her odd outfit.  
“Quite the ensemble you’ve got there.” He remarked as he caught his breath, causing Judy to blush, “Are you lost?” Judy waved her paw in the air vaguely, hoping he’d understand.   
“Kinda? Well if you are, maybe I can help you find your way.” He offered as Nick rounded the corner.  
“Max!” He shouted, slowing down and jogging up to his friend, “Who’s this?”  
“I was just about to ask.” The sheepdog responded. Nick turned to face Judy and his brow furrowed.   
“Do I know you?” He asked. Judy nodded enthusiastically. Nick’s eyes lit up and hope swelled in his chest.  
“Where do I know you from?” He questioned, hoping beyond hope that she was who he thought she was. Judy frowned and gestured to her throat, opening and closing her mouth for emphasis.  
“You can’t speak?” Nick ventured, earning a sad nod from the bunny.  
“Oh, then you can’t be the mammal I was thinking of.” Nick said, crestfallen.  
“Why don’t we take her to the palace Nick?” Max asked, elbowing his dejected friend. Nick, remembering his manners, collected himself.  
“Of course.” He agreed, offering his arm to the bunny. Judy looped hers through his and practically glowed with happiness as the trio walked towards the palace. Far behind, Sebastian scuttled after the group, determined to keep an eye on his young charge. There was still a long way to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is a little shorter than usual just because I wanted to get it out sooner and I’ve been a little busy. I tweaked the whole interaction between Ariel/Judy and Ursula because I don’t think that either Judy or Ariel would realistically sign a binding document without reading it. I’m equally certain that Ursula would have convincing counter reasons and other such nonsense to convince them to go with it anyways. So that’s why I did that. See you next chapter! And thanks for reading!


	5. Les Poissons

Grimsby stood in the entrance hall; a long stone corridor richly decorated in tapestries and art, and eyed the bunny fidgeting in front of front of him.   
“You found her on the beach?” Grimsby asked his young charge, raising an eyebrow as he inspected Judy’s sailcloth dress.  
“Actually, Max found her.” Nick corrected with a smile, “She can’t speak, but she claims we’ve met before.”  
“Interesting.” Grimsby mused, his eyes returning to the nervous bunny, “Well, we can’t have her wandering around in that, thing.” He shuddered, gesturing towards Judy’s makeshift dress, “Carlotta!” He called.  
“Yes milord?” A middle-aged otter answered, springing into the entry hall.  
“Take her to the guest quarters and have her properly outfitted.” Grimsby instructed before turning back to Judy, “Carlotta will help you with anything you need dear. I’ll see you at dinner.” Judy smiled at the old wolf before Carlotta took her arm and led her further into the palace.  
“So Nicholas, does this bunny mean that you’ve given up on your daydream?” Grimsby asked, causing the fox to blush.  
“First of all, it wasn’t a daydream.” Nick replied, glaring at Grimsby, “I was saved by a stunning bunny with a beautiful voice.”   
“That you never met before and have no evidence of.” Grimsby muttered.  
“And secondly,” Nick continued, ignoring Grimsby’s skepticism, “how do I know that this bunny and that bunny aren’t the same?”  
“She can’t speak!” Grimsby countered, “You based half of your description on her voice!” Nick opened his mouth to reply, but Grimsby waved his paws in the air, signaling he wasn’t done.  
“I’m getting sidetracked.” He said, “My point is that maybe you shouldn’t be so focused on this mystery mammal that you miss what is right in front of you.”  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nick asked. Grimsby thought back to the moment when Nick and the bunny had walked in, and chuckled. Nick, lost in thought, had failed to notice the adoring, sidelong glances she stole when he wasn’t looking.  
“You’ll figure it out.” Grimsby replied, walking towards his quarters, “And Nick, don’t be late for dinner.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy twirled in front of the mirror, delighted as she beheld her new dress.  
“You look lovely dear.” Carlotta commented with a smile, unable to resist Judy’s infectious enthusiasm. Judy looked in the mirror once more before turning to the otter and sweeping her up in a hug. Carlotta froze for a moment before awkwardly patting the bunny on the back.   
“Is there anything else you need?” She asked, extricating herself from the bunny’s grasp. Judy shook her head in response.  
“Alright.” She replied, heading for the door, “I’ll be back shortly to escort you to dinner.” The otter closed the door, leaving Judy alone in the opulent guest quarters. Judy inspected the room and its contents with fascination. Her collection had been massive, but some of the decorations she’d never even seen before! She was intensely scrutinizing a bejeweled golden egg when she heard someone knocking on the door. Judy bounced over to the door and flung it open to reveal Nick’s friend Max.  
“We need to talk.” He began, stepping inside the room and closing the door behind him. Judy raised an eyebrow at him and he winced.  
“Right, poor choice of words. Listen, I know who you are. I know what you are.” The color drained from Judy’s face as Max spoke.   
“Oh!” Max exclaimed as he noticed her sudden panic, “No, that’s not what I meant! I want to help you.” Judy motioned for him to continue, watching the sheepdog warily.  
“I knew you looked familiar when I found you on the beach,” Max began, pacing across the room, “I just couldn’t figure out where I would know you from. But earlier, it hit me. You’re the merbunny who was on the ship, and I’m pretty sure you’re the one who rescued Nick.” Judy nodded in response and Max smiled, pleased with his deductions.  
“I’ve known mermammals were real for a while.” Max continued, “But you’re the first one I’ve ever seen out of the water. How did it happen?” Judy rolled her eyes and gestured at her throat, reminding him that she wasn’t able to answer.  
“I almost forgot!” Max said, smacking himself in the head, “I brought something to help with that.” From his pocket, Max produced a sheet of paper, a quill, and a small bottle of ink.  
“Can you write?” He asked, holding out the writing materials to her. Judy took them and walked over to a side table. Max waited while she scribbled something down. She strolled back over and showed him what she had written.  
“I can’t tell you why I have legs. And yes, I was the one who hid on your ship and rescued Nick.”  
“Can’t tell me or won’t tell me?” Max asked. Judy held up a digit, indicating it was the first one.  
“Can I ask why you got legs and left the sea?” Max inquired. Judy pointed to one word on the piece of paper: Nick.  
“Oh.” Max said, grinning at the bunny, “That explains it.” Judy blushed and shrugged her shoulders. Just then, there was a knocking at the door.  
“Judy.” Carlotta called, “It’s time for dinner.”   
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell Nick anything.” Max whispered, “I’ll do my best to help.” Judy took Max’s paw and squeezed it in thanks. Max smiled at her and waved towards the door, reminding her of the otter waiting outside. Judy hurried towards the exit and slipped out. The sheepdog waited until he heard the duo’s footsteps fade before leaving himself.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Nick gazed out the window of the dining room, his eyes fixed on the sea as he thought about his mysterious rescuer.  
“For heaven’s sake Nicholas!” Grimsby exclaimed, jolting the fox out of his reverie, “Young does don’t just pop up in the middle of the ocean rescuing princes and then flittering off into oblivion! It doesn’t work like that.”  
“How did you—”  
“Please, I practically raised you.” Grimsby interrupted, “I know when you’re off in a fantasy world fixated on a bunny that doesn’t exist!”   
“She exists, I will find her, and I will marry her.” Nick replied. Grimsby opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when he heard Carlotta’s voice.  
“Go on dear, don’t be shy.” She urged the bunny, guiding her into the room. Judy emerged from the shadows and Nick’s breath caught in his throat as he saw her. Outfitted in a breathtaking pink gown, Judy shuffled towards the table wearing a nervous smile and with her ears drooping behind her.  
“Isn’t she a vision Nicholas?” Grimsby beamed, taking Judy’s arm.  
“Yes, uh, you look wonderful.” Nick stammered, his usual self-confidence deserting him. Judy blushed and looked away.  
“Here, sit down dear.” Grimsby said, leading Judy to the table, “You must be famished.” She smiled at Grimsby as he helped her into the chair.  
“It’s not so often we have such a lovely dinner guest, is it Nick?” Grimsby asked, winking at Nick. While he was speaking, Judy looked down at the place setting, her eyes widened in excitement, and her ears shot back up.   
“A dinglehopper!” She thought, plucking the fork off the table and running it through her fur. She glanced at Nick, who had sat down at the grand chair heading the table, to see if he was impressed, but he stared at her with a confused expression. When she shifted her attention to Grimsby, she noticed a similar reaction. Mortified, she placed the dinglehopper back on the table and shrunk in her chair, her ears drooping once more. She looked up as she heard Grimsby strike a match. He held the match up to, was that a snarfblatt?! Judy looked at it, her ears standing straight up and her eyes fixed on Grimsby’s pipe.  
“Oh, do you like it?” He asked, proffering it to Judy, “I do find it rather—”  
Judy cut him off by blowing into the pipe with all her might, sending a cloud of searing ash into Grimsby’s facial fur. Judy looked horrified, but Nick let out a clear, ringing laugh that echoed through the room. He coughed as Grimsby glared at him.  
“Oh, so sorry Grim.” He said, making no attempt to hide his smile.  
“Why Nicholas, I haven’t heard you laugh like that in years!” Carlotta marveled.  
“Uh, very amusing.” Grimsby huffed, using his napkin to wipe the ash from his fur, “Carlotta my dear, what’s for dinner?”  
“Oh, you’re gonna love it.” Carlotta promised, “Chef’s been fixing his specialty: stuffed crab!  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Sebastian crawled through the window and collapsed in a heap behind a vase of flowers, gasping for breath.  
“The things I do for that bunny.” He panted, struggling back to his claws. He scuttled around the vase and noticed a portly raccoon rummaging a cabinet and humming to himself. Sebastian looked around the room and gulped. He was in a kitchen.   
“Oh, how I love les poissons!” The raccoon exclaimed, emerging from the cabinet holding an enormous bowl of dead fish. Sebastian shrunk in his shell and moved towards cover. The raccoon pulled out a monstrous cleaver and brandished it above his head.  
“Off with ze head.” He muttered with a large smile, bringing the cleaver down and separating the head from the rest of fish with a loud THUMP. Sebastian began quivering in terror.  
“Now let’s get rid of zose nasty bones hm?” The raccoon said to the dead fish, unsheathing his claws and ripping the bones out of his deceased victim. Sebastian ran towards the exit, moving as fast as his claws would carry him. As he ran across the table, a fish head landed in front of him, startling him back towards the kitchen.   
“Oops, lost zat one.” The chef chuckled. Sebastian watched as the raccoon ripped out the fish’s innards and threw them in a pot of boiling liquid. He shivered as he heard the hissing of frying fish. The chef took a deep breath through his nose.  
“I love zese little fishes.” He trilled, reveling in the cooking seafood. The raccoon lumbered over towards Sebastian’s hiding place and the crab let out a squeak. He had hidden right next to a plate of appetizers! The crustacean grabbed a piece of lettuce from the platter and pulled it over himself. The chef continued his work and Sebastian crept towards the exit, praying that his camouflage would work.  
“Ah, ze classic technique.” He uttered, pulling out a fillet knife and a mallet, “Pound it with a mallet,” He brought the mallet down with such force that Sebastian was propelled into the air, “zen slice into ze belly, and rub some salt in.” Sebastian swallowed the bile rising in his throat and glanced towards the door. If he could just—  
“What is zis?!” The chef exclaimed, yanking the lettuce off Sebastian, “I almost missed one!” He picked Sebastian up in his claws and inspected the crab lovingly.  
“Such a lovely, delicious one too.” He murmured before throwing Sebastian into a bowl of red sauce. Sebastian fought his way to the surface and his tormenter plucked him from the bowl.  
“A little bread.” The raccoon proclaimed, shoving the food into Sebastian’s face, “And some flour.” He dunked the crustacean in a bowl of the ivory powder, “And into ze pot!” He tossed Sebastian across the room, towards the pot of boiling water. Sebastian caught the edge of the pot with his claw and yelped as the water scalded him. He pulled himself out of the pot and jumped to safety.  
“Huh?” The chef turned around to investigate the noise and spotted Sebastian crouched on the table. With a growl, he picked up the crab in his claws and held him to his face.  
“What iz this?” He asked, a malicious smile growing on his face. In an act of desperation, Sebastian grabbed the raccoon’s snout with his claws and pinched as hard as he could.  
“OW!” He yowled, dropping Sebastian and bringing both paws to his face to massage his rapidly swelling nose. The raccoon pulled out his cleaver, a murderous look on his face. Sebastian ran. His nemesis charged after him, taking swipes at him with the knife. Sebastian leapt onto the stove and the chef tried to grab him. The crab escaped at the last second, leaving the raccoon holding a scalding cast iron skillet. He roared in pain and threw his cleaver at Sebastian, narrowly missing the fleeing crustacean. Sebastian ran across the counters, knocking the various sauces and cooking implements to the floor as he went. He risked a glance behind him and saw that the chef’s knife descend mere inches from his shell. With one final burst of energy, Sebastian dived underneath the china cabinet. The raccoon, blind with rage, hit the cabinet like a linebacker, sending it crashing to the ground. The chef swayed in place as he surveyed the wreckage of the kitchen.  
“Chef Louis!” Carlotta shouted, walking into the kitchen, “Is the food…” The otter trailed off as she took in the scene before her; the floor splattered with various sauces, flour and covered in shards of ceramic. The pots overturned on the stove with the food oozing out to form a steaming heap. The destroyed china cabinet on the ground, every counter gouged and scratched by knives, and the chef, standing in the middle of the room, dazed, covered in food, with a swollen nose. She closed her mouth and didn’t say another word. She picked up three covered dishes of food and left the kitchen.   
Sebastian lifted the edge of the cover and peeked out at his defeated enemy, giving Chef Louis one last wave as Carlotta carried him to safety.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“Perhaps our guest would enjoy seeing some of the sights of the city?” Grimsby suggested as Carlotta brought the food out, “Maybe a tour of some sort?”  
“Huh?’ Nick asked, tearing his eyes off the bunny next to him, “What was that?”  
“Well you can’t keep moping around here.” Grimsby asserted, shifting so Carlotta could put his plate in front of him, “It’d be good for you. You need to get your life in order.”  
“Easy Grim.” Nick laughed. As the fox talked to his guardian, Grimsby lifted the cover off his plate to reveal a very familiar crab. Sebastian saw her and his face sagged with relief. Judy held up the cover of her plate and gestured for him to hide. The crustacean scuttled across the table.   
Nick and Grimsby continued talking, not noticing the sea creature crawling across the table.   
“I actually don’t think it’s that bad of an idea.” Nick said to Grimsby, “Provided she wants to go.” Grimsby rolled his eyes in response.  
When he finally made it to Judy’s plate, she slammed the cover down, drawing the attention of Nick and Grimsby.  
“So, would you like to go on a tour of my kingdom with me?” Nick asked, his tail twitching nervously. Judy nodded her head, her eyes full of excitement as she gazed at the fox.  
“And you thought she might not be interested.” Grimsby scoffed, earning a good-natured glare from the prince.  
“First thing tomorrow morning.” Nick promised the eager bunny, “I’ll take you out and show you all the sights. I know the kingdom like the back of my paw.”  
“Excellent. Now let’s eat before the crabs start crawling off our plates.” Grimsby proclaimed, bringing his fork down on the empty plate.   
“Where the devil is my crab?!” He cried, moving the bed of lettuce around to look for it. Nick laughed again as he watched the old wolf search for his dinner.   
Judy lifted off her cover as she felt Sebastian crawl off the plate and onto her lap. She looked down at the stuffed crab and her stomach turned in revulsion. She held up the full plate to the wolf, offering him hers.  
“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly.” He said, gazing at the crab longingly. With a smile, Judy put the plate down in front of him and took his, content to munch on the lettuce that remained.  
“Thank you very much dear.” Grimsby said, digging into the crab, “You do eat seafood, don’t you?” Judy shook her head and Grimsby choked on his food.  
“You didn’t ask if she was a vegetarian before inviting her to dinner!” He accused Nick, aghast at his behavior.  
“It didn’t come up.” Nick replied, shifting in his seat, his ears drooping behind his head.  
“Well, I’m terribly sorry about that my dear.” Grimsby apologized, “It won’t happen again.” Judy shook her head to indicate that it wasn’t a big deal. As dinner wore on, Judy’s eyes began growing heavier and the voices of Nick and Grimsby became indistinct buzzing in the background.  
“It’s time for you to go to bed.” Grimsby finally said as her eyes drooped further, “You want to be well rested so you can see the kingdom.” Judy gave him a sheepish smile in response.  
“Carlotta!” Grimsby called, causing the otter to scurry out of the kitchen, “Would you take our young guest back to her room please? She’s had a long day.”  
“Of course.” She responded, helping Judy out of the chair, “Right this way.” Judy followed Carlotta out of the dining room, waving goodbye to Nick and Grimsby as she left.  
“Forgotten about that other bunny yet?” Grimsby asked. Nick rolled his eyes and stood up.   
“I’m gonna go find Max.” He replied, ignoring the question. He strolled out, leaving Grimsby sitting alone at the table.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy walked into her room and closed the door behind her before putting Sebastian down on the bed.  
“You have no idea what I saw in that kitchen.” He said with a shudder, checking to make sure all of his appendages were intact, “How did everything go with the prince?” Judy gave him a thumbs up.  
“And you’re going on a tour of the kingdom tomorrow?” He queried. Judy nodded.  
“Then it’s time to go to bed young lady.” He ordered, “I have risked too much for you to mess up because you didn’t have enough sleep.” Judy waved off Sebastian’s concern and drifted towards the balcony, savoring the cool sea breeze that ruffled her fur. She leaned against the railing and gazed out over the sea. She allowed herself a smile as she thought of all the mermammals trapped under the waves, missing out on the glorious world above. She surveyed the palace courtyard and noticed Nick and Max walking along a path, deep in conversation. Nick noticed her and waved. Judy blushed and waved back before heading inside. Sebastian was right. She did need some sleep.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“Look Nick,” Max began as they walked along the path, “you know that I believe you were saved by that bunny, right?”  
“Really?” Nick replied, “I thought you were messing with me.”  
“No, I was being serious. I do believe you.” Max said, kicking a stone out of his way, “But Nick, Grim’s right.”  
“You just said that you believed me!” Nick complained.  
“I do.” Max clarified, “What I’m saying is that he’s right about the way you’ve been acting; you need to stop moping around.”  
“I’m not moping.” Nick sulked, “And I’m going to find her.”  
“Look, all I’m saying is that you shouldn’t get tunnel vision over this bunny.” Max said, trying to stay on track, “You don’t know enough about her to be so certain who she is. Don’t go into a situation with your eyes closed.”  
“What situation are you talking about?” Nick asked.  
“That one.” Max replied, pointing to the bunny watching them from her balcony. Nick gave her a little wave and she reciprocated before disappearing back into her room.  
“My point is that she could be the bunny you’re looking for.” Max exhorted, “Or maybe she’s not. Either way, don’t focus so much on the idea that you lose out on the real thing, ok?”  
“Fine.” Nick huffed, “But don’t expect me to stop looking.”   
“Wouldn’t dream of it pal.” Max said, clapping him on the back, “But you should get some rest. You’ve got a big day tomorrow!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: WOOOO! I was stuck on this chapter for a week! Damn writer’s block. So sorry about that wait. Y’know, if you were waiting for it. Few things. I made Grimsby so horrified about the vegetarian thing because he’s very proper and dietary preference can be a big deal with social events. Raccoons are also known to eat fish, shellfish, and crustaceans (and everything else under the sun), so that's why Louis is a raccoon. As per usual, no real singing, not even for Chef Louis (Though I do love his song). Fun fact, I work in a kitchen and things can go that horribly wrong. I’m not entirely sure when the next update will be, but it shouldn’t be too long. Hopefully. Until then, thanks for reading!


	6. Kiss the Bunny

Sebastian scuttled back and forth along the bed, glaring at the slumbering lapin.  
“She picks today of all days to sleep in!” He fretted, poking at her with a claw. Judy snuffled and rolled over, burying her head deeper in the mountain of pillows.  
“This is ridiculous!” He exclaimed, pinching her again to no avail. With one final glance at the lapin, Sebastian hopped off the bed and moved towards the long, heavy curtains covering the window. He grabbed the sturdy cloth in his claws and with a monumental effort, began pulling them back, allowing blinding sunlight to stream into the darkened room. Sebastian pulled until the frontier of light crept across Judy’s entire form and then slumped to the floor, gasping from the effort. As Sebastian lay on the ground, exhausted, Judy began to stir. The bunny rolled onto her back and sat up, eyes squinting as she adjusted to the brightness of the room. She gave Sebastian a tired wave, oblivious to the crab’s most recent endeavor.  
“Judy, you’re going on a tour of the kingdom today!” Sebastian reminded her, standing back up, “He’s waiting for you outside!” Judy’s ears shot up and she jumped out of bed, all tiredness burned away by the prospect of a day spent with Nick. She looked down at herself and noticed she was wearing a thin, linen nightgown. Perfect for sleeping, but not appropriate for a day in town. Sebastian cleared his throat and pointed towards a nondescript door in the corner of the room.  
“That otter came in and left you some things to wear earlier this morning.” He said, his tone softening. Judy smiled at the crustacean and rushed over to the closet, throwing it open to reveal an impressive number of clothes. There were elegant ball gowns like the one she wore last night, various skirts and shirts, and more understated, everyday dresses. Judy rifled through the closet, occasionally pulling something out and inspecting it before returning it. As she neared the end of her selections, one dress in particular caught her eye. Judy pulled it off the rack and gazed at it in the sunlight flowing through the window. She turned to face Sebastian and motioned for him to look away while she changed.   
Sebastian sighed and turned to face the wall, letting his mind roam free while he waited for Judy to finish changing. After an appropriate amount of time, he turned back around to see Judy seated in front of a mirror, adding the final touch to her outfit. A smile grew on the crustacean’s face as he watched the bunny finish her preparations.   
“If he doesn’t kiss you before the day is through, he’s a madmammal.” Sebastian remarked, earning a grin from his friend.   
Judy strolled over to the crab and bent over, scooping him up in her paws. She deposited him in her pocket and hurried towards the door. She had a tour to attend.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Nick walked around the carriage one last time, making sure everything was prepared for his trip with Judy.  
“There’s no need to check everything Nicholas.” Grimsby commented, causing Nick to jump in surprise, “The stable boys do know what they’re doing.”   
“Grim, didn’t notice you there.” Nick replied, returning his attention to the carriage, “I like to make sure.”  
“Yes, well, we wouldn’t want anything going wrong today, would we?” Grimsby insinuated, a knowing smile on his face. Nick rolled his eyes at the wolf and tugged at the harness one last time.  
“Well, everything’s set.” Nick announced.  
“Shocking.” Grimsby muttered, his eyes sparkling in amusement.  
“Now all we need is the other passenger.” Nick continued, ignoring the wolf’s comment. Grimsby cleared his throat and motioned towards the palace.  
“It would appear that she has already arrived.” He said, pointing towards the bunny descending the steps. Nick’s eyes widened as he saw her walking towards him, wearing a navy dress with a sky blue skirt and white sleeves. Judy gave him a little wave and skipped over, her ears trailing behind her.   
“Are you ready for the tour madame?” Nick asked, offering his arm to her with an elaborate bow. Judy took it and gave Nick a shy smile as he helped her into the carriage. Nick grabbed the reins in both paws and snapped them, sending the horse pulling them into a steady trot.  
“Have fun you two!” Grimsby shouted as the pair sped away. Nick raised a paw in acknowledgement before disappearing through the gates.   
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy watched the horse with fascination as it propelled their carriage towards the city. On a whim, she leaned over the back and peered at the hooves as it ran.   
“His name is Mortimer!” Nick informed her, raising his voice to be heard over the sound of pounding hooves and creaking wheels, “We’ve had him ever since I was a kit!”  
She pulled herself back into the seat and a wide smile grew on her face as she looked around at the beautiful countryside. She stole a glance at Nick as he drove the vehicle, a grin on his face, his ears back, and his poufy white shirt flapping in the wind. He glanced at her and grinned even wider, pointing towards the city ahead.  
“That’s where we’re headed!” He shouted. As they entered the city, the hard packed dirt transitioned into uneven cobblestones. After a few seconds of jostling around the carriage, Nick pulled back on the reins to slow Mortimer into a, more comfortable, trot.  
“That’s the blacksmith,” Nick pointed towards a low stone building, “over there is the inn, and up ahead is the Wilde Bridge.” He grimaced at the name and Judy gave him a questioning look.  
“It’s named after my family,” He explained as they ventured deeper into the city, “I think it’s a bit conceited, but Grim insisted.” Judy winced sympathetically. It was like that time her father had named a new anemone after her. Her sisters had never let her hear the end of that.  
As they drove over the bridge, Judy heard splashing from the water and peered over the side. Below, desperately trying to keep pace with the carriage, was Flounder.  
“Any kissing yet?” He asked before splashing back into the water. Sebastian crawled out of Judy’s pocket.  
“Not yet!” He replied. Before he could say anything else, Mortimer carried them off the bridge and deeper into the heart of the city.   
“And this is the city center.” Nick said, gesturing to the empty square lined with shops and vendors, “They hold market here every few days.” Judy looked around the plaza in awe, drinking in every detail; entranced by the smell of baking bread, the rose bushes climbing the buildings, even the muffled buzzing of trapped insects, waiting to be sold to hungry predators. At that moment, Judy’s stomach chose to unleash a long, rumbling growl. Mortified, she blushed and shrank in her seat, hoping that Nick hadn’t noticed.  
“Have you had anything to eat today?” He asked, bringing Mortimer to a halt and turning to face the bunny. Judy gave him a sheepish smile and shook her head.   
“I’ll be right back.” He promised, jumping out of the carriage and running towards one of the buildings. Judy slumped in her seat and groaned. Or at least, she tried to, but all that came out was a rush of air.   
Nick rushed back towards the carriage, juggling a hot loaf of bread between his paws.  
“Here.” He said, depositing the loaf on the seat next to Judy, “Be careful though, it just came out of the oven.” Judy looked at the bread in wonder, picking it up in both paws. As she held it, the heat became more and more intense, finally getting to the point where she had to drop it on her dress.  
“What’d I tell ya?” Nick chuckled as she blew on her burning paws. Judy gave him a good-natured glare before returning her attention to the loaf of bread in her lap. Nick snatched it off her lap and tore off hunk before dropping it back onto the seat.  
“Here.” He offered, “It should cool down a little quicker now.” Judy took the proffered food and put it in her lap. She had learned her lesson about letting things cool down. Nick grinned at her before picking the reins back up and snapping them, sending Mortimer towards the other side of the center. As they rode through the center Judy picked up the bread and ripped off a piece like she had seen Nick do. She popped it into her mouth and began chewing; savoring the unfamiliar, yet delicious, taste of fresh baked bread. Nick noticed the look of pure bliss on the bunny’s face and laughed.  
“I didn’t know you liked bread so much.” He remarked. Judy smiled at him as she tore off another piece and shrugged her shoulders. Nick gazed at her for another moment before returning his attention to the road.   
“There’s one more place I want to show you.” He said, guiding the carriage onto a side street.   
______________________________________________________________________________  
“This is one of my favorite places in the city.” Nick told her as they pulled up to an open pavilion. He jumped out of his seat and held out his arm for Judy. She hopped down and took it, allowing the vulpine to lead her into the space.   
Judy shivered as her bare paws touched the cold marble floor. She let go of Nick’s arm and wandered into the middle of the room, craning her neck to inspect the dusty violet curtains adorning the rafters.   
“They used to use this place for parties.” Nick said, a wistful smile on his face, “Still do actually, I just don’t drop by anymore.” Judy shot him a questioning look and he shrugged.  
“Things are different when you’re the prince. You can’t just drop by parties anymore. It makes mammals uncomfortable. They can’t see me as one of them, y’know?” Judy nodded her head in understanding and motioned for Nick to join her in the middle of the room. He smiled and walked over to the waiting bunny. Judy twirled in place and held out her paw to him. Nick’s eyes lit up as he realized what she meant. He took her paw and pulled her in closer, humming a simple melody as they swayed together. After a few beats, Judy tried to twirl again, but her feet caught on a crack in the floor and she pitched forward. At the last second, Nick caught her arm and pulled her back up. Judy blushed and smiled at him in thanks.  
“We should get going.” Nick said, “I don’t want you getting hurt just because I was moping around this old place.” Judy enveloped Nick in a hug, squeezing him tightly before letting go. Before the fox could register what happened, Judy sped out of the room, headed for the carriage. Nick stood in the dusty pavilion and laughed. His favorite place had just gotten a little bit better.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
The tour of the city had concluded, but Nick still had one more trick up his sleeve. As the sun set over his kingdom, Nick drove the carriage towards the palace cove; a calm, beautiful, and untamed expanse of water that led straight to the ocean. He parked the carriage right next to the water line and leapt out, motioning for Judy to follow. Nick strolled over to a cluster of reeds and parted it with his paw, searching for what he’d hidden there earlier that day. His ears perked up when he saw the old rowboat; stashed exactly where he left it. He grabbed the rope and dragged it into the open, pulling it towards where Judy was already standing.  
“We’re not done yet.” Nick said, grinning at the bunny. Judy hopped into the boat, almost losing her balance as it rocked.  
“Careful.” Nick chuckled, vaulting over the side and into the boat. He picked up oars from the floor of the boat and placed them in the oarlocks. While Nick was preparing the boat, Sebastian crawled out of Judy’s pocket and moved so that he was seated on the prow, just behind the young prince.  
Judy watched as Nick propelled the two of them through the cove with easy, languid strokes.  
“Y’know,” He began as he rowed, “it’s a little weird not knowing your name. Maybe I could guess it?” Judy nodded her head eagerly.  
“Alright, let me think.” Nick said, smirking as a thought occurred to him, “Is it Carrots?” Judy crossed her arms and glared at him.  
“No?” He answered, his face the picture of innocence, “Let’s see… Is it Rachel?” Judy shook her head, “Is it Sarah?” Judy shook her head, “Is it Mildred?” At the last one, Judy gave Nick a disgusted look and mimed retching over the edge. Trying, and failing, to contain his laughter, Nick started again.  
“Is it—”  
“Her name is Judy you utter buffoon!” Sebastian muttered, unable to contain himself any longer.  
“Judy.” Nick breathed, not knowing where the thought came from. Judy’s ears perked up and she nodded her head.  
“Judy, huh?” Nick said, smiling at the bunny, “I like it. Though I also like Carrots.” Judy smacked his arm.  
“Understood.” He laughed, rubbing his arm, “Not Carrots.” Judy nodded, giving the vulpine a stern look as he resumed rowing.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Flounder surfaced next to a floating log and watched as the two mammals cruised through the lagoon. Scuttle swooped down from above and landed on the log, startling Flounder.  
“Anything happen yet?” He asked, his eyes trained on the rowboat.  
“No.” Flounder replied, looking concerned, “There’s only one day left! She needs him to kiss her soon, otherwise…” Scuttle tapped the end of his beak with his feathers.  
“Hmmmm… I know exactly what’ll get those two love birds to smoochin.’” He said, smiling at Flounder, “It’s time for a little vocal, romantic stimulation.”   
“No, Scuttle—” Flounder began, but Scuttle extended his wings and flew off the log, ignoring the fish’s protests. Flounder watched as Scuttle alighted on a low hanging branch near Nick and Judy.   
Scuttle cleared his throat and adjusted himself on the branch before he opened his beak and began to sing. A ghastly and disturbing screeching that started in the back of his throat and rasped outward, reminiscent of a feline drowning in salt water. Flounder winced and swam back under the water. He’d heard enough of Scuttle’s singing.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
As the first notes of Scuttle’s “song” reached Nick’s ears, he missed a stroke and flew backwards, falling into the bottom of the boat. As they drifted under Scuttle’s tree, the gull gave Judy a thumbs up and continued his warbling. Judy rolled her eyes and helped Nick back into his seat.  
“Whatever that is,” He said, picking the oars back up, “somebody needs to put it out of its misery.” Judy let out a soundless laugh and nodded her agreement. Behind Nick, she saw Sebastian cover his ears with his claws and shoot Scuttle a murderous look. He returned his gaze to Judy and winked before jumping off the prow.  
“If you want something done right,” Sebastian muttered as he swam to the bottom and snapped off a reed, “you have to do it yourself.” He swam back to the surface and gave a sigh of relief. That infernal gull had stopped his “singing,” but not before the damage was done. The natural sounds of the cove had vanished; the frogs, the crickets, the ducks swimming through the water, even the occasional splash of a fish, all driven away by Scuttle’s performance.   
“You have to create the mood.” Sebastian reminded himself, brandishing the broken reed like a baton. He pointed it at the cluster of ducks loitering in the shallows and motioned them towards the rowboat. The waterfowl followed his direction, paddling past Nick and Judy. Next, Sebastian motioned to the frogs to resume their croaking and hopping. As Sebastian cued each animal, the natural sounds of the environment returned, filling the uncomfortable silence created by a certain seagull.   
“Now for the finale.” He murmured, diving back under the water and rallying the sea life. Using his makeshift baton, Sebastian directed the fish back and forth, creating a new current that carried the rowboat under a tree laden with white blossoms. Sebastian swam back to the surface and watched as the boat drifted to a stop, exactly as he’d planned.  
“C’mon.” He muttered, staring at the fox, “Kiss her. You know you want to. She won’t say anything until you kiss her.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“I really loved showing you the kingdom today.” Nick said, letting go of the oars and letting the current carry them, “I’d forgotten how much fun it was to go through the city and see everything.” Judy smiled and nodded her head, staring deep into the fox’s eyes. Nick blinked and looked up as the boat drifted into the shade of the blooming tree. As he watched, a petal fell off one of the blooms and drifted down, spiraling through the air until it alighted on Judy’s ear. Without thinking, Nick leaned in closer and brushed it off with his paw. As he brushed it away, Nick realized that he was only inches from Judy’s face. All he had to do was lean a little bit closer and—SPLASH!  
Nick was thrown clear as they capsized, sending both mammals flying into the water. With a low growl, he swam back towards the upturned boat and clung to the hull, searching the water for Judy. To his surprise, the bunny surfaced right next to him and grabbed onto the side. Noticing the shocked look on his face, Judy flashed him a quick smile.  
“Sorry about that.” He said, suppressing a grin, “I promise it won’t happen again.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“No it won’t.” Ursula agreed, watching the scene unfold through the eyes of Flotsam and Jetsam, “It appears I underestimated the girl.”  
“What do you want to do Mistress?” Flotsam asked, his disembodied voice floating through the cavern.  
“I can’t risk this happening again.” Ursula decided, “I am too close to finally taking my revenge on Triton. I think it’s time Prince Nicholas meets the bunny he’s been so desperately searching for.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys sorry for the delay with this chapter. I’ve had work and I’ve been pretty lazy (though I imagine you all are getting tired of my excuses). Anyways, I took a few liberties in this chapter: extending the tour, changing the tour, and of course, getting rid of “Kiss the Girl” (Damn you for creating such a catchy song Disney! And yes, I have been shamelessly ripping off the names of songs for chapter titles. Deal with it.). I thought they were changes that were either good and made sense, the first two, or needed so the flow of the story wasn’t disrupted, the last one. Next update will be when I get to it, I’ve got orientation coming up soon so I don’t know exactly when I’ll get it out but I’ll try to be fast. Any feedback is appreciated, as always (especially because I’m currently giving this chapter like a 6.5/10), and I’ll see you next update. Thanks for reading!


	7. A Wedding to Remember

Nick leaned out over the balcony, humming to himself as the night air flowed over his fur.   
“You look happy.” Max commented. The fox turned around and noticed him leaning against the wall, a playful grin on his face.  
“Your door wasn’t locked and you weren’t answering.” Max said with a shrug, noticing the questioning look on his friend’s face, “So, how did the tour go?” Max held back a laugh as a dreamy look appeared on Nick’s face.  
“It was… wonderful.” He finally replied, returning his attention to the sheepdog, “She was so excited and happy! Not to mention beautiful.   
“Wow.” Max chuckled, “Somebody’s got it bad. Anything happen?”  
“What? No.” Nick responded, blushing as he remembered their boat ride, “Nothing happened.”   
“Nothing?” Max asked, raising an eyebrow and giving Nick’s sodden clothes a pointed look.  
“We may have fallen in.” He muttered, a sheepish smile on his face.   
“Always the charmer, eh Nick?” Max laughed. Nick rolled his eyes and put his paws in his pockets.  
“All part of my brilliant plan.” Nick said, his voice laden with sarcasm.  
“Really, and what is the next phase of your ‘brilliant plan?’” Nick gripped the small wooden box in his pocket and gave Max a sly grin.  
“You’ll have to wait and see.” He answered, winking at the sheepdog.  
“Wait, there’s actually a plan? Oh, c’mon Nick, what is it? Can I help?”  
“You’ll find out tomorrow Max.” Nick chuckled, “And you will definitely have an opportunity to help.”  
“We better get some rest then.” Max said, his tail wagging behind him, “I’ll see you in the morning Nick!” The sheepdog rushed out of Nick’s room, slamming the door shut behind him. Nick pulled the box out of his pocket and rolled it between his paws as he paced the room. The vulpine sat down on the bed and pried it open, revealing an elegant silver band adorned with a single, glittering diamond.  
“After all,” He murmured to himself, “I will need a best mammal.” Nick snapped the box shut and pulled open the drawer on the dresser next to his bed, gingerly placing the ring in it. He began walking towards his closet, eager to change out of his dripping outfit, but stopped as his ears detected a distant melody. Intrigued, Nick hurried out to the balcony and searched the surrounding area for any sign of the voice. His eyes fixed on the beach as the singing grew louder, finally able to discern a bunny with caramel colored fur and suffused with a soft, golden light strolling towards the castle. As he watched, Nick’s brilliant emerald eyes clouded, a flash of gold sweeping across them before they turned to a muted, dirty hue reminiscent of rotting leaves. The bunny approached the gates and Nick felt a strange, foreign compulsion. For a moment, he fought this unnatural urging, but soon gave in and sprinted back into his room, grabbing the ring from his dresser before heading for the entrance hall. ______________________________________________________________________________  
Scuttle swooped into Judy’s room through her open balcony door and let loose a victorious screech.  
“Congratulations kid!” He shouted, landing at the foot of the bed as Judy shot up, “You got ‘im!”  
“What on earth are you talking about?” Sebastian demanded, fighting his way from out under the blankets.  
“The wedding!” Scuttle crowed, “I heard that a certain prince was gonna be marrying a certain bunny tonight!” Judy’s face lit up and she jumped from the bed, rushing from the room without even taking the time to change out of her nightgown.   
“Judy, wait for me!” Sebastian called, chasing the excited bunny. Scuttle let out another enthusiastic CAW and flapped after the duo. Judy slid to a stop at the top of the stairs and was about to leap down when she heard Nick’s voice.  
“Grimsby, this is Vanessa.” Judy watched as Nick introduced a stunning brunette bunny to the old wolf, “She’s the one who saved me when the ship went down.”  
“Oh no.” Scuttle breathed, landing on the banister next to Judy.  
“Is she?” Grimsby commented, inspecting the caramel colored bunny, “What about that other girl, Judy?”  
“Who’s Judy?” Nick asked in a monotone. Tears began to trickle down Judy’s face as she watched the horrifying scene unfold.  
“She’s that other bunny who you’ve been spending so much time with!” Grimsby exclaimed, his brow creasing in concern, “Are you feeling alright Nicholas?”  
“I’ve never been better Grim.” Nick promised, “Vanessa and I would like to be married, tonight, in the harbor.”  
“Well that’s a little fast don’t you think—”  
“We’re eager to be together for the rest of our lives.” Vanessa interrupted, her voice musical and hypnotic. Almost immediately, Grimsby’s posture relaxed and he nodded, a pleasant smile replacing the look of concern.  
“Very well, I’ll ready a ship at once.” The wolf responded, smiling at the couple, his earlier consternation seemingly gone without a trace.  
Judy felt a small tug on her arm and gave a start of surprise. She looked down and noticed Sebastian, who had crept up undetected. The crustacean, giving his young charge a sympathetic look, motioned for her to follow him back to the room. Judy got to her paws and trudged after the crab, shoulders heaving in silent anguish. Upon entering the room, she collapsed face first on the bed, wracked with sobs. Scuttle flew back into the room and gave the distraught bunny a sorrowful look.  
“I’m gonna go see what the deal is with this new bunny.” Scuttle said, trying to sound upbeat, “Maybe there’s something we can do to stop the wedding.” Without waiting for a reply, the seagull shot out of the room. Sebastian opened his mouth, trying to think of something comforting to say to his devastated friend, but nothing came out. At that moment, there was a knock at the door. Judy raised her head to see a white sheepdog standing in the open doorway.  
“Is this a bad time?” Max asked, a note of concern entering his tone as he beheld the distressed bunny. Judy shook her head and sat up, dabbing at her eyes with a sheet.  
“I just heard about this new bunny.” Max began, walking into the room and closing the door behind him, “I don’t know who she is or where she came from, but I know that something’s off. Nick’s not acting like his usual self and he barely remembers you.” Fresh tears began trickling from Judy’s eyes as Max spoke.   
“Don’t worry.” He assured, crouching down in front of Judy, “I’m going to do my best to put a stop to this.” Judy gave Max a watery smile before wiping her face once more.  
“I’ve got to go.” He said, straightening up, “Nick needs his best mammal after all.” With that, Max strode out of the room. There was a wedding that needed stopping.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Nick stood in front of the mirror and inspected his suit; an ensemble consisting of unfamiliar, pressed white dress pants and an uncomfortable white jacket with gold buttons and a high collar. He twisted to get a better view of himself in the mirror and frowned as a button came loose. Without warning, Max barged into the room, surprising the struggling fox.  
“Oh Max, good, I need your opinion.” Nick said, wrestling the button back into place.  
“I think you’re rushing into this.” Max responded dryly. Nick dismissed the comment with the wave of a paw.  
“Not that opinion.” He clarified, “I don’t know about this jacket.” Nick turned back to the mirror and scrutinized his outfit again.  
“Does it look ok?” He asked, a note of anxiety creeping into his voice.  
“The jacket looks fine Nick.” Max huffed, growing more annoyed with the vulpine by the minute, “Why are you worrying about your jacket when you’re about to marry some random bunny you met last night?”  
“It’s my wedding Max.” He stated, smiling at the sheepdog, “I’m a little nervous, that’s all. And I do know her. She saved my life, remember?” Nick stepped away from the mirror and tugged on his jacket, straightening it out before facing his friend.  
“What about Judy?” Max questioned, trying to reach the vulpine.  
“What about her?” Nick answered, “Sure Judy’s nice, but she wasn’t the bunny who I was looking for.”  
“But Nick—”  
“Max,” He interrupted, “you’re my best friend in the world, but your constant comments on my love life are getting on my nerves. I just need you to be my best mammal. Can you do that?”  
“Of course Nick.” Max lowered his head as if admitting defeat.  
“Thank you.” Nick said, looking him in the eye, “Now let’s go. We have a boat to catch!” The fox skipped out of the room, the picture of happiness. As Max watched him go, a look of grim determination grew on his face. Something was definitely wrong with Nick.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Scuttle circled the castle, lost in his thoughts.  
“Why’d you have to say anything, huh?” He scolded himself, “That poor kid is devastated and it’s all your fault.” The gull shook his head and continued flying, trying to think of any way to salvage Judy’s hopes. As he flew, Scuttle noticed one of the balcony doors on the far side of the castle was open. Curious, he swooped down and landed on the balustrade. Inside, dressed in a voluminous white gown, sat the mysterious bunny who had displaced Judy from Nick’s heart. Scuttle watched as Vanessa ran a comb through her fur and gazed at the reflection in the mirror. The seagull stifled a gasp when he noticed what the mirror was showing. Instead of the brunette lapin, the mirror showed an enormous honey badger with razor sharp fangs, a writhing mass of tentacles instead of legs, and a malicious smile.  
“Marvelous.” A deep and unfamiliar voice emanated from Vanessa, “Only a few hours left before Triton’s precious daughter belongs to me. And she doesn’t even have a clue.” The bunny let out a cackle and stood up, grabbing a seashell necklace from the dresser and putting it on.  
“Now, I shouldn’t leave the prince waiting.” She said, her voice changing to become lighter, more musical, and strangely familiar. Scuttle let out a squeak of anger as he realized the imposter was using Judy’s voice to seduce the prince. Vanessa sauntered out of the room, veil trailing behind her as she headed for the wedding boat.  
“I’ve got to tell Judy.” Scuttle breathed, leaping off the balustrade and taking to the air. The seagull winged towards Judy’s room on the other side of the castle, flying faster than ever before. He sailed through Judy’s open balcony door and landed in a heap at the foot of the bed.  
“Vanessa’s not Vanessa!” He exclaimed, picking himself up off the floor and looking excitedly at Judy, who had changed into yesterday’s dress and was looking very determined.  
“What on earth are you going on about?” Sebastian asked.   
“She’s not a bunny.” Scuttle explained, “She’s a honey badger! With tentacles! And she’s got this necklace-thingy that gives her your voice!”  
“Ursula!” Sebastian exploded, “That devious, cheating witch!” Eyes shining with hope and a new resolve, Judy sprang to her paws and rushed out of the room.   
“Judy, wait!” Sebastian shouted.   
“There’s still hope.” She thought, jumping down the stairs, “Ursula has my voice, and if I can just get to Nick before the boat leaves I can break whatever spell she has on him.” Judy burst out of the castle gates and sprinted towards the dock, dress flapping behind her like a flag. Each step brought the ship closer and closer, brought Nick closer. As the dry ground transitioned into the wooden planks of the dock, the ship began to pull away, raising the sails and preparing the oars. With one final burst of speed, Judy covered the rest of the dock, desperate to get to Nick before he was out of reach. The wind filled the sails and the gap between the dock and vessel widened. Judy neared the edge of the dock and knew that there was only one option. Her feet hit the last plank and Judy jumped with all her might. The bunny soared across the divide, rocketing towards the ship. At the last moment, Judy prepared for impact, hoping that she would be able to hold on.  
THUD. Judy smashed into the boat and began sliding down the stern of the ship, desperately scrabbling for a pawhold, blunt nails scarring the damp wood on the way down and leaving predatory claw marks. For a moment, Judy’s paw caught on a one of the planks and she hung several meters above the waterline. The victory was short lived as a wave impacted the boat, knocking her tenuous grip loose and sending her plummeting into the sea below.   
Judy fought her way back to the surface as her sodden clothes acted like an anchor, pulling her towards the sea floor. Finally breaching the surface and sputtering for air, the bunny watched as Nick, her one chance at true happiness, sailed away.   
Just as she began to swim back towards the dock, something brushed up against her leg. Shivering in surprise, the lapin searched the water for the source, growing more panicked with each moment she failed to detect the culprit. Suddenly, a brightly colored tropical fish breached the surface, transforming Judy’s panic into relief.  
“Judy!” Flounder shouted, swimming closer to his friend. The bunny sighed in relief and pulled him in for a hug.  
Scuttle flew down from above, carrying Sebastian in his feet.   
“Flounder!” Sebastian called, noticing the prince’s wedding party, “We need to get Judy on that ship! Ursula has brainwashed the prince and we only have a few hours left!”   
“She did?!” He exclaimed, breaking free from the bunny’s embrace, “Don’t worry Jude, I’ll get you to that boat.” Scuttle dropped Sebastian in the water next to Judy and hovered, waiting for instructions.  
“Go and stall that wedding!” Sebastian commanded, shooing the gull towards the ship.  
“Stall the wedding.” Scuttle muttered, “Stall the wedding, I can do that.” The bird flapped his wings and flew towards the palace cove. He needed reinforcements.   
“I need to go warn your father.” Sebastian said, a fearful look on his face, “Now Flounder, swim as fast as your fins can carry you!” Flounder nodded his head and took off after the wedding party, towing Judy behind him.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Scuttle flew into the cove and let out a cry.  
“C’mon folks, we got an emergency!!!” He yelled at the top of his lungs, swooping down to roust every animal he could find. The birds in the cove responded immediately, taking flight and following the seagull until every living being with wings was in the air. Scuttle noticed several sea lions longing on the rocks and dived towards them.  
“Get your rears in gear!” He yelled, letting out another echoing cry, “We need to help Judy!” The sea lions snapped to attention and took to the water, swimming towards the ship and galvanizing more marine life along the way. Scuttle took one last look around the cove before heading for the ship, his avian posse following close behind.   
______________________________________________________________________________  
The wedding boat was gorgeous. A snow-white canopy shielded the guests from dying sunlight, the finest musicians in the kingdom were playing, garlands of flowers hung from every available surface, and the prince had never looked happier.  
“Unfortunately,” Max thought, watching Vanessa prepare to walk down the center aisle, “It’s all a sham.” The band struck up the iconic wedding march and the disguised sea witch began her procession, each step slow and deliberate. As she approached the front row where Max was seated, he let out a low growl, unable to help himself. Without breaking stride, Vanessa kicked out at the sheepdog, scratching his foot with the heel of her shoe. Max hissed in pain and looked around, but nobody noticed the bride’s skullduggery.   
“Something’s got to happen.” He prayed as the priest began the ceremony, “This has to be stopped.” As Max finished his thought, a loud CAW broke the respectful silence. Max looked out over the side of the ship and stifled a laugh. Rapidly approaching was a dark, angry swarm of birds, led by an unusually large seagull. The avian horde reached the wedding party and began dive-bombing the guests, ripping through the canopy and grabbing at anything shiny or loose. Vanessa shrieked and began swatting at the birds, trying to drive them away. But the attack wasn’t the only surprise to come.   
“NOW!” Scuttle yelled, swooping down to attack Vanessa. On his command, the various sea creatures began assaulting the boat, rocking it back and forth and sending guests staggering across the deck. Scuttle landed on top of Vanessa and grabbed at her necklace, trying to regain the voice of his friend. The bunny screamed again, trying to tear Scuttle away as his talons dug into her dress.  
Max laughed in delight as the seagull went after Vanessa and the boat began to rock. Seeing his chance, the sheepdog ran towards the bride, eager to help her assailant.   
______________________________________________________________________________  
“We’re here.” Flounder panted, guiding Judy to the side of the boat before drifting away in exhaustion. Judy gave Flounder a one armed hug before turning to the ship and beginning to climb.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“GET OFF ME!” Vanessa growled, grabbing Scuttle’s neck in both paws. The gull weakened as she began choking him, but refused to relinquish his hold on the necklace. While suffocating the persistent bird, the boat rocked again and Vanessa lost her balance. Stumbling backwards, with paws tightly clamped on his neck, the bunny fought to regain her balance. But, just as she appeared to have won, Max tripped her. With an angry wail, she fell, releasing the captive gull. With one last yank, Scuttle snapped the necklace in half and sent the shell flying across the deck. Vanessa watched in horror as it shattered at the feet of Judy.   
A stream of golden light erupted from the remains of the shell and drifted into Judy’s open mouth. Nick, who had hardly moved since the attack began, turned to face her. She watched as his eyes flashed gold once more before returning to their brilliant shade of emerald.  
“Nick!” She shouted, savoring the ability to speak once more.  
“Judy.” He breathed, running over and sweeping her up in his arms. Setting the lapin back down, and Nick stared at her face as if he was seeing it for the first time; the fur stiff with salt; the eyes red from crying; even the ears, perked up once more. At that moment, he knew.  
“It was you.” He murmured, “You were the one who saved me. It’s always been you.” Judy smiled and nodded her head ever so slightly.  
“Nick, what are you doing!” Vanessa shouted. She gasped in horror upon hearing herself. Gone was the soft, bubbly tone of Judy. It was replaced by the deep, rasping voice of her true form. Ursula the Sea Witch.   
Nick leaned in closer to Judy, their lips inches apart.  
“NO!” Ursula shouted, eyes wild with anger. The moment before Nick’s lips made contact, the sun dipped below the horizon, shrouding the ship in darkness.  
“You’re too late!” Ursula crowed, watching the couple. Judy let out a gasp and fell to the ground.   
“Judy, are you alright?” Nick asked, crouching down next to her. Judy gave Nick a miserable look and gestured downwards. Before his eyes, Judy’s strong, grey-furred legs fused together, becoming a fish tale with iridescent turquoise scales.  
“What did you do?!” Nick yelled, turning to face Ursula. The Sea Witch cackled and raised an arm to the sky. A bolt of lightning struck the bunny and destroyed the form she had been masquerading in, revealing the tentacled monstrosity that haunted merfolk’s worst nightmares.   
“Better luck next time lover boy.” The honey badger snarled, knocking him aside and grabbing Judy in her claws, “She belongs to me now.” Ursula dove over the side and into the sea below, taking Judy as her prisoner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi guys! Just have a few quick things. First of all, I took some liberties with the way events happened, as always. I think Judy might just be a little bit OOC with how upset she is, but I’m not entirely sure. So let me know what you think on that. Also, the story is nearing an end. Heartbreaking, isn’t it? So I’ll try and get that last (or last two I haven’t decided yet) chapters out for you quickly. Oh, and tomorrow’s my birthday! I’ll be 18! Yeah. That’s completely irrelevant, I just wanted to let you all know XD. Anyways, comments are always appreciated (I got a really good one the other day, but ff.net is spazzing out on me and it’s not showing up) and I hope that you enjoyed this last chapter. Thanks for reading!


	8. Consequences

Ursula shot down towards the sea floor, towing Judy behind her like a prize. Cackling, the sea witch tossed the merbunny onto the ground, eliciting a cry of pain.  
‘Oh hush.” She commanded, smiling maliciously. With a maniacal laugh, the witch raised a paw, wisps of dark energy dancing through her claws.  
“Any last words princess?” She mocked.  
“Ursula STOP!” Triton commanded, appearing and grabbing the honey badger’s arm. Sebastian heaved a sigh of relief as Triton yanked her away from Judy.  
“Triton.” Ursula snarled, wresting her arm from his grasp, “What an unexpected surprise.”  
“You are to let my daughter go immediately!” He commanded, the trident in his paws humming dangerously.  
“Oh, Triton.” Ursula tutted, collecting herself, “I see your precious little daughter didn’t tell you everything. We have a contract.” The sea witch pulled out a roll of parchment and threw it into the water. The paper unraveled, revealing Judy’s contract, with her name signed at the bottom. With a howl of rage, Triton aimed the trident at the offending document and loosed a blast of enormous power. Ursula gulped as the blast hit the paper, but instead of obliterating the paper, it was absorbed, making the contract glow with a golden light.   
“You see Triton!” Ursula crowed, hiding her relief, “Not even you can break it! Judy belongs to me!” Triton looked at the witch in horror, then at his daughter floating behind Ursula, ready to pay the price for her headstrong actions.  
“What do you want Ursula!?” He roared, glaring at the tentacled fiend, “She’s just a child!”  
“I suppose I could be convinced to take something else.” The badger wheedled, glancing at the trident, “Something of equal value.”  
“No.” Sebastian whispered, looking at Triton, “No, you can’t!”  
“There’s no other way Sebastian.” He replied grimly, a look of utter defeat on his face.  
“No there isn’t.” Ursula said with relish. With a snap of her claws, a contract appeared before Triton with a fishbone pen floating besides it.   
“The terms are simple. Your trident for your daughter’s life.” Triton gave Judy a wan smile before taking the pen and signing the contract.  
“Dad, NO!” The merbunny shot towards her father, but one of Ursula’s tentacles swatted her away. Triton finished signing and tossed his trident at the badger in disgust. With a cackle of glee, the sea witch caught the trident and pointed it at the king of the seven seas.  
“Goodbye Triton!” She snarled, the weapon glowing in her paws. A beam of light shot from the prongs and struck the defeated king. Crying in pain, the merbunny began to shrink, becoming brown and shriveled until he was a scraggly weed, swaying in the current.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Nick ran to the side of the boat and looked over at the foaming water below.  
“Judy.” He whispered, eyes wide with concern.   
“Nicholas, are you alright?!” Grimsby shouted, fighting through the crowd of wedding guests to try and reach Nick.  
“I’m going after her Grim!” He yelled back, pulling off his formal wear until all that remained was an undershirt and shorts.  
“Don’t you dare young man!” The wolf warned, closing in on the prince. Ignoring Grimsby, Nick leapt onto the rail and dove overboard, disappearing beneath the waves without a trace.  
Nick opened his eyes and recoiled at the sting of the saltwater before propelling himself deeper and deeper, searching for Judy. A flash of light far below caught his attention and Nick redoubled his efforts.   
“I’m not losing her.” Nick promised himself as he neared the sea floor.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“That felt even better than I imagined.” Ursula crowed, laughing at Triton’s current, pathetic state, “The mighty king of the Seven Seas laid low by his own trident. It’s poetic really.” Judy picked herself up off the sea floor and rushed towards her father.  
“Oh no you don’t.” Ursula scolded, aiming the trident at Judy, “Now, what should I turn you into, hm?”  
“You promised my father I wouldn’t be harmed!” Judy screamed, glaring at the sea witch in hatred. Ursula shrugged.  
“I never said anything about leaving you in your present form though.” She chuckled, the trident beginning to glow in her paws. Judy lunged to the side in an attempt to get away and Ursula raised a tentacle like a whip, ready to strike the merbunny once more.  
“AHHHHH!!” Ursula howled in pain. Judy glanced back at the sea witch and saw Nick slashing through her tentacles with his claws, air bubbles leaking out of his snout as he snarled. Without a second thought, Judy rocketed back towards Ursula to help Nick.  
“Get OFF!” Ursula roared, finally shaking the vulpine loose. Whipping around to face Nick fully, the honey badger fixed the trident on him.  
“And I was going to let you live.” She growled, releasing a blast of power aimed at the prince. Judy shot out of nowhere, tackling Nick out of the way as the blast tore through the water he’d occupied moments earlier. The merbunny kept going, carrying the prince to the surface as fast as she could.  
“You can run Judy!” Ursula shouted after the fleeing mammals, the trident beginning to hum in her claws, “But you can’t hide!”   
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy broke through the surface; Nick slumped over her shoulders. The fox took in a deep shuddering breath and gave Judy a tired grin.  
“What were you thinking?” She scolded, voice filled with concern, “You could’ve died!”  
“You almost did.” He replied dryly, his breathing returning to normal, “Who was that?”  
“Ursula the Sea Witch.” Judy grimaced, “She—” A blast of force radiated from the sea floor, cutting Judy off and causing the water to roil and churn. Judy cast a look towards the ship, but before she could react, an enormous creature erupted from the depths of the sea, creating a wave that crashed over the pair and swept them away. A look of despair grew on Judy’s face as Ursula the Sea Witch towered hundreds of feet above them, Triton’s trident clutched in her vicious claws. The honey badger let out a booming laugh and pointed the trident at the sky. Using her newfound power, Ursula willed storm clouds to form, the wind to speed up, and the sea to whirl and boil. In a matter of seconds, rain was pouring down from clouds that flickered with lightning, the wind was howling loud enough to drown out the thunder, and an enormous, churning whirlpool spun into existence.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
At the whirlpool’s edge, the wedding party began to abandon ship, launching the lifeboats and paddling away from Ursula’s storm. The exodus occurred at an alarming rate, until only Grimsby Max, and the crew were left onboard.  
“Sir, we need to go!” One of the crewmembers ordered Grimsby, gesturing towards the last lifeboat.  
“I’m not abandoning Nicholas!” He shouted over the howling wind.  
“Neither am I!” Max added  
“Take the crew and go! But I’m staying!” Grimsby finished, waving him away.  
“But—”  
“GO!” He commanded. The frightened otter gave Grimsby a quick salute before scurrying onto the final lifeboat with the rest of the crew.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Ursula glared down at the two nuisances, eager to be rid of them.  
“Now you can finally die!” She jeered, priming the trident. Judy grabbed Nick and took off again, using every evasive maneuver she could dream off.  
“Hold still!” The sea witch complained, narrowly missing the pair once more.  
“Judy,” Nick wheezed, pointing towards the boat swirling around the whirlpool, “get me to the ship. I have a plan.” The merbunny nodded, dodging another blast from Ursula before swimming towards the ship.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
“Grim watch out!” Max yelled, pulling the old wolf out of the way as the mast snapped and fell forwards. With a loud CRACK, it hit the prow of the ship, snapping the fox figurehead off and sending it into the drink.  
“Thank you Max.” Grimsby said, paws shaking as he gripped the railing. Steadying himself, the wolf returned his attention to the boiling water of the whirlpool, searching for his young charge.  
“Down here!” Nick shouted as Judy stroked up to the side of the boat. She dropped Nick off before heading back to distract the monstrous honey badger.  
“Nick!” Grimsby cried in relief as the vulpine climbed up the side of the ship. Once he made it on board, Grimsby enveloped the fox in a hug.  
“Good to see you too Grim.” Nick chuckled, patting him on the back, “But we’ve got work to do. Max, help me with the rudder.” Nick raced towards the stern with Max following close behind.  
“Grim, I’m gonna need you to tell us when to turn, ok?” Nick shouted back to him.  
“What?” Grimsby asked.  
“We’re gonna use the ship to ram Ursula!” Nick yelled, pointing at the creature in the center of the maelstrom and smiling devilishly. The ship continued to spiral downwards into the whirlpool, picking up speed with each revolution. Grimsby kept his eyes fixed on the honey badger as the ship drew closer.  
“NOW!” Nick and Max threw themselves against the rudder, fighting to keep it steady in the rough water. The ship whipped inwards, breaking free from the whirlpool’s pull and barreling straight towards the sea witch, smashing into her with a sickening CRUNCH.   
The trident dropped from Ursula’s claws as she looked at the ship protruding from her midriff. Judy stopped swimming and Nick, Max and Grimsby abandoned ship as the last spark of life escaped the monstrous witch. Without the iron will of the badger to control it, the weather calmed and the sea became glassy smooth. Motionless, Ursula sank beneath the water, never to be seen again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! I don’t really have much to say for this chapter. I did choose to omit the demise of Flotsam and Jetsam because it was more trouble than it’s worth to write them in. Especially because I think of them as tied to Ursula’s life force so when she dies, they’re gone too (y’know because she can speak/see through them. They’re like her familiars basically). Anywho, sorry if that bugged you, but it’s how this is happening. This chapter also feels a little fragmented (to me at least) because of all the action, so sorry if that’s bothersome. The next chapter will be the last (and will also be the epilogue) so sadly, this is almost done. Please let me know what you think of this chapter as well. And for all those people who are consistently commenting, thank you. I really do appreciate it. Thanks for reading!


	9. Happily Ever After

As the last sparks of life left the notorious sea witch, all those in her thrall broke free. At her lair, in the depths of the sea, countless merfolk emerged from the sea of weeds carpeting the floors, removing her sadistic garden from existence. Even the eels, Flotsam and Jetsam, began to fade to nothingness without their master to maintain their life force. More importantly, far away from Ursula’s lair, another mermammal burst from captivity. Sebastian heaved a sigh of relief as the king returned to normal.  
“Thank god!” Sebastian exclaimed.  
“What happened?” Triton asked with a shudder, “Where’s Ursula?”  
“She chased after Judy and the prince.” Sebastian said, “But don’t worry, they must have defeated her! That’s why you’re free!” Triton opened his mouth to berate the crustacean, but stopped upon noticing something falling towards him.  
“I guess you’re right Sebastian.” He replied, voice full of surprise as he plucked his trident from the water. The weapon glowed as Triton caught it, happy to be in the paws of its master once more.  
“Now let’s go find my daughter.”   
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy towed Max, Grimsby, and Nick into the shallows before collapsing on the beach in exhaustion.  
“We’re here.” She groaned, her voice muffled by the sand.   
“Thank you Judy.” Nick said, plopping himself down next to her as Max and Grimsby staggered onto dry land, “I don’t know what we would’ve done without you.” Judy rolled onto her back and eyed the prince smiling down at her.  
“You probably would’ve had a safer wedding.” She remarked, squinting in the early morning sunlight.  
“C’mon Grim, let’s head back to the castle.” Max whispered with a knowing smile and a quick glance at Nick and Judy.  
“Oh. Of course.” Grimsby replied, noticing the private moment between the two.  
“Nicholas,” He called, “we’ll see you at the castle.” The wolf winked at his young charge before turning to follow Max. Nick gave Grimsby an absentminded wave, not bothering to look at him.   
“I would also be married to a honey badger-pus masquerading as a bunny.” Nick chuckled, returning his attention to Judy, who had hauled herself into a sitting position. She shrugged and leaned against the fox, content to sit in silence. Nick wrapped an arm around the merbunny and pulled her closer.   
______________________________________________________________________________  
Triton and Sebastian surfaced just off the beach where Nick and Judy sat. Upon seeing his beloved daughter safe and sound, Triton finally allowed himself to relax.  
“Thank god she’s alright.” He breathed, “Now it’s time to bring her home.”  
“Your majesty,” Sebastian began, looking away and clicking his claws, “I don’t think you should.”  
“Don’t think I should what?” Triton asked, eyeing the nervous crustacean with suspicion.  
“I don’t think Judy wants to come home.” Sebastian said, steeling himself and meeting the king’s gaze, “Look at her.” The crab waved a claw at Nick and Judy reclining on the beach, oblivious to the presence of her father.  
“She’s happy. Your daughter has found a mammal she loves, a mammal who would, and has, risked his life for her.”  
“She has, hasn’t she?” Triton admitted, casting a glum look at the pair on the beach, “This is the hardest thing I will ever have to do.”  
“Why?” Sebastian asked, glancing at the trident nervously as Triton pointed it at the beach.  
“Because I’m really going to miss her.” With a wave of his trident, King Triton gave Judy all she ever wanted: the ability to live on the surface for the rest of her life.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
Judy convulsed and broke free of Nick’s arm, collapsing on the sand.  
“Judy!” He yelped, leaning over and propping her back up, “What’s wrong?”  
“My tail…” Judy trailed off, looking at her torso. The brilliant turquoise tail had disappeared and in its place were the strong, grey furred legs Ursula had conjured. As Judy watched, a mirage of her favorite dress floated over like a cloud, enveloping her and solidifying into a real garment. Nick looked down at the, now thankfully clothed, bunny and his face split open in a wide smile.  
“Judy,” He said, beaming at the shocked bunny, “will you marry me?” Judy looked at herself again, then at the fox smiling at her, eyes full of hope. Yanking his shirt, she pulled the prince in for a kiss, causing both of them to fall backwards on the beach.  
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He remarked with a lopsided smile, facial fur caked with sand. Judy nodded, giggling at the sandy fox.  
______________________________________________________________________________  
From the sea, Triton watched his youngest daughter rejoice in her new life.  
“You did the right thing.” Sebastian consoled, smiling at the king.  
“That doesn’t make it any easier Sebastian.” He sighed, turning away from the beach and diving beneath the waves.  
“Look on the bright side,” The crustacean coaxed, paddling after the king, “we’ll see her at the wedding.”  
______________________________________________________________________________  
The sun beat down on the guests as they boarded the open topped wedding barge and filled the seats under the canopy. Once everyone had boarded, the gangplank retracted and they set sail.  
“Another day, another wedding.” Max whispered to Nick as they stood at the altar. The fox stifled a laugh. In one sense, his friend was correct. The wedding was almost a carbon copy of the one engineered by Vanessa; the guests sat under a snow-white canopy, flowers garlanded the support poles, and the sun was beginning its descent. But it was the little changes that made this wedding different. Chef Louise, glowering at the smug crustacean seated in the front row. The crowd of marine life gathered around the ship and the birds roosting in the rigging. The vibrant bouquets of violet blossoms that were Judy’s favorites. Of course, there were some larger disparities as well; who could miss the king of the seven seas and six of his daughters floating next to the boat on spouts of water? But the most important difference was the bride. Nick gazed at the bunny proceeding down the center aisle, his heart swelling with love. Judy smiled at him, glowing with happiness. Upon reaching the altar, she joined hands with Nick and Grimsby began proceedings.  
The ceremony flew by in a blur and before Nick knew it, the time had come.  
“Do you, Nicholas Wilde, take Judith Hopps to be your lawfully wedded wife?” The wolf prompted, a proud smile on his face. Nick chuckled. Why did he let Max choose Judy’s last name?  
“I do.” He responded, eyes fixed on the gorgeous bunny in front of him.  
“And do you, Judith Hopps, take Nicholas Wilde to be your lawfully wedded husband?” Grimsby asked Judy, tears welling up in his eyes.  
“I do.” She answered.  
“Then I now pronounce you mammal and wife. You may kiss the bride!” The wolf wiped his tears of joy away as Nick swept Judy into his arms and kissed her to the cheers of the crowd.   
A/N: Hey guys! That’s it! Story over! I hope the epilogue wasn’t disappointing. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this retelling (with a few tweaks) of The Little Mermaid. If you could leave your final thoughts and impressions for me as comments, that would be fantastic and I’d really appreciate it. Also if you liked my writing, maybe check out some of my other stories. Until next time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys! That’s it! Story over! I hope the epilogue wasn’t disappointing. Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this retelling (with a few tweaks) of The Little Mermaid. If you could leave your final thoughts and impressions for me as comments, that would be fantastic and I’d really appreciate it. Also if you liked my writing, maybe check out some of my other stories. Until next time!

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hi! Yes, I wrote another fic for an AU. Oops. I also fiddled with the ages of the characters a bit to make it a little more manageable and relatable to Nick and Judy. Anyways, this series is a birthday present Trashasaurusrex. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish this story up as quickly as the last one, but who knows. Other than that, there’s not much. My personal explanation for Judy having a not A based name is that she's clearly Triton's favorite. If anyone was wondering I made Ursula a honey badger because they are extraordinarily intelligent and nasty creatures who are also very resilient. So yeah, that about wraps this up for now, but you’ll get the next chapter soon. Thanks for reading!


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